'It's nice to be looking up'
WHUFC.com
Gary O'Neil hopes to keep the momentum going as the Hammers travel to
Manchester City
25.04.2013
After a punishing schedule of three games in a week, Hammers midfielder Gary
O'Neil has been glad of the opportunity to prepare more normally for
Saturday's trip to Manchester City. West Ham had to take on Southampton,
Manchester United and Wigan Athletic all in the space of eight days, and
despite the taxing run, Sam Allardyce's men came out of the sequence with
five points. They now have a five-game unbeaten run to protect, so former
Portsmouth man O'Neil is full of confidence going into the season's
finishing straight. He told West Ham TV: "Three games in a week like that is
tough on the legs and tough mentally as well, getting yourself up, down, and
then back up again. "So to keep the unbeaten run going was really important.
Manchester City will be a tough one at the weekend but we're looking forward
to the last few games of the season. "It's nice to be able to look up
without having to worry about what's behind you at all. We're looking
forward to seeing if we can finish in the top ten. "City are out of the
title race now, so hopefully that'll make it slightly easier for us. It's a
tough place to go, but we have been a little more solid on the road recently
so hopefully that can continue."
Following an eye-catching performance against the champions Manchester
United, the Hammers had to show a different side to their game to grind out
the result against Wigan - but O'Neil didn't mind that. He added: "The way
Wigan play maybe made it look more frustrating than it was. They had the
ball a lot, but they do leave themselves open at the back. We managed to
capitalise on that twice and do our job without the ball. "If they want to
keep the ball all game without really hurting us then that's fine. We
managed to punish them twice and it was a big three points for us."
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Big Sam on: Manchester City
WHUFC.com
Manager Sam Allardyce spoke to the press ahead of West Ham's trip to
Manchester City
25.04.2013
Sam Allardyce hopes that his side can play with even greater freedom in the
final four games of the Barclays Premier League season, now that they have a
top ten finish within their sights. Having amassed 42 points to date, and
sitting pretty in tenth, Big Sam urged his players to end the campaign on a
high. First up is Saturday's lunchtime kick-off at Manchester City's Etihad
Stadium, one that the Hammers' boss accepts is a sizeable challenge.
How much satisfaction does it give you, that you could finish not just
top-half but potentially eighth?
SA: "I think that I said from the very start that our goal was to try and
finish around mid-table. I always felt that tenth was the highest possible
position for this year. It would be great to try and achieve it. We're there
with four games to go.
"We've not been lower than 14th all season, so it shows the consistency
really, that the players have shown. Like every team, in some period of the
season we went several games with only one win. That happens to everyone
who's in and around that area of the Premier League and, of course, if it's
only one period then it's not too bad. "We haven't done that apart from
around December and January, so we've come out of that bleak spell and now
we're moving into the final throes of the season in a very comfortable
position. And I think we can enjoy and relax without detracting from
performance. In fact, I'm hoping that it will enhance the lads to perform
even better than they've already done. While we're not mathematically safe,
it's going to be very difficult for the teams below us to catch us and put
us into a relegation-threatened position."
How great an achievement do you think this is, given that the team who won
the Championship last year are going to get relegated…
SA: "I don't get any satisfaction out of what other teams haven't achieved
or should have achieved. It's just about me doing my job at West Ham United
that I came to do. Whatever I came to say I was going to do I've done, so
that gives me great satisfaction.
"We could easily lose our last four games or we could still continue our
undefeated run. We've got two very difficult away games against Manchester
City and Everton. And then two very difficult - on paper they don't look as
difficult - Newcastle haven't performed that well away from home this season
and of course Reading, who are struggling at the bottom. "So we just look
forward to Manchester City. First and foremost focus on that, concentrate on
that, trying to give the best performance we possibly can and see whether
that gets a result at a very difficult place to go and play football."
Sam, there must be a bit of next season in your mind, are you tempted to
bring in a few of the younger players?
SA: "Well, we've talked about that, but at £800,000 a place in the league,
it's something that I have to consider. The higher we finish in the league
the more revenue it generates, the better budgeting figures we can attain
for next season. We will, inevitably, I think try one or two younger
players, but it will not be a big change to the team, it might just be the
odd change here or there, or bringing them on as a substitute.
And finally, any team news for Saturday?
SA: "No, we've got no extra injuries. Just James Tomkins and George
McCartney at the moment, the rest of the squad are fine and enjoyed a couple
of well-earned days off after the week that they had and are back in and
ready to go against Manchester City."
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Supporter consultation under way
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 25th April 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United season tickets holders and members have been voting in their
numbers as the club's Olympic Stadium Supporter Consultation process gets
under way. The YouGov-led survey, in which supporters are invited to have
their say on a number of issues relating to the club's relocation to
Stratford started on Tuesday, since when many supporters have registered
their comments. However the consultation process has not been universally
welcomed by all supporters - with some claiming that is it little more than
a "marketing exercise".
Peter Caton, whose campaign group WHU's View? ran an independent poll last
year that resulted in the vast majority of voters rejecting the move to
Stratford said: "This is not the objective poll we hoped for. "It is an
exercise in sales and marketing, dressed up as a questionnaire, which was
preceded by the club wheeling out a succession of past players to endorse
the move. "Sadly neither is it a questionnaire that will provide much useful
information to the club which would help take account of supporters' wishes.
It was clearly designed to elicit the answers the club wants - a rubber
stamping exercise."
However Caton acknowledged that, at the very least, supporters have been
given the opportunity to register their objection to the move.
"To their credit the club have included a yes/no question (albeit strangely
worded) which we didn't expect to get", said Caton. "At least this allows
those opposed to the move to register their opposition."
Meanwhile another supporter has posted a video on YouTube under the title
'WHU CONsultation', listing their objections to the move; you may view this
here.
Finally, you may have your say by completing the club's poll here. The poll
is open until midnight on April 30th.
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West Ham striker Carlton Cole in dark over new deal reports
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: April
25, 2013 2:41pm
SSN
West Ham striker Carlton Cole is bemused by reports that he has been offered
a new deal to extend his stay at Upton Park. Reports on Thursday claimed
that Cole had been issued a deadline of the last day of the season to agree
fresh terms that had been verbally offered to him. Cole is out of contract
at the end of the season and his long-term future at West Ham has been the
subject of conjecture. The 29-year-old has struggled to hold down a regular
place in the Hammers side this season with Sam Allardyce preferring to play
a system of one striker his starting XI, while the loan signing of Andy
Carroll has also pushed Cole down the pecking order However, Cole's
representatives insist there has been no new contract offer from West Ham
and they have not heard anything from the club since pre-season. "There was
one offer that was discussed in pre-season after which nothing has been
discussed since," read a statement from Cole's representatives to Sky
Sports. "Carlton's only focus has been to do his best for the team to help
them stay in the Premier League. "Carlton is out of contract in the summer
and he has always performed at his best whenever he has been called upon."
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Sam Allardyce confident West Ham can finish on a high
Last Updated: April 25, 2013 5:25pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce is confident that West Ham can end the season on a high having
achieved their initial target of a mid-table finish. A run of five matches
unbeaten sees West Ham sitting comfortably in 10th place but Allardyce is
demanding no let up in performance. "I said from the start that our goal was
to finish around mid-table, 10th would be the highest," he said. "We're
there with four games to go, it shows the consistency that we've had. "Bad
runs happen to everybody, but if it's only one period it's not too bad, we
only did that around December and January. "We're in a very comfortable
position and we can relax without that detracting from our performance.
"We've got two very difficult away games and two home games which on paper
don't look as difficult, but which are. "We'll look forward on Manchester
City and try our best to get a result out of a very difficult game. "I saw
an excellent performance from them against Tottenham the other day, apart
from them slipping up in the last 10 or 15 minutes."
Allardyce reiterated that the situation with loan players - including Ravel
Morrison and Andy Carroll - could be influenced by their finishing postion.
"At the end of the season, all our loan players, all our players out of
contract, we'll look at their situations," he added. "At £800,000 a place in
the league, we have to consider that the higher we finish the more revenue
it generates. "We'll inevitably try one or two of the young players over the
rest of the season, but it won't be a big change, it'll be a minor change.
"We have no extra injuries, just James Tomkins and George McCartney at the
moment. The rest of the squad is fine."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, April 26
Thursday, April 25
Daily WHUFC News - 25th April 2013
On this day - 24 April
WHUFC.com
West Ham United leave White Hart Lane with all three Premier League points on this day in 1999
24.04.2013
Anniversary
Stuart Pearce
Born: 24 April 1962
Clubs: Wealdstone, Coventry City, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Manchester City
England Under-21 manager and former West Ham United left-back Stuart Pearce is today celebrating his 51st birthday. Pearce, who takes England's young charges to this summer's UEFA European U21 Championship in Israel, made 50 starts in his two seasons at the Boleyn Ground. Famously nicknamed Psycho, the tough-tackling full-back signed for the Hammers in August 1999, having fallen down the pecking order under Ruud Gullit at St James' Park. Sadly, his first season at the club was wrecked by injury, with Pearce twice fracturing his left leg in the space of just six months. Despite that misfortune, he would go on to start all but four of the Hammers' 38 league fixtures the following campaign, as Harry Redknapp's last season at the helm saw the Hammers finish 15th in the top flight. Pearce too, moved on in the summer, making the switch to Maine Road before calling time on his illustrious career at the end of the 2001/02 campaign, with 83 England caps to his name.
Classic match
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United
Premier League
24 April 1999
West Ham United's last victory at White Hart Lane unfolded on this day 14 years ago. The Hammers drew first blood after just five minutes, with Ian Wright lobbing Ian Walker to score his ninth and final goal in claret and blue. It remained 1-0 for a further hour, before Marc Keller rounded off a neat move, slotting home to double the visitors' advantage. The Frenchman's strike proved the precursor for a frenetic final 20 minutes. Firstly, David Ginola halved Spurs' arrears with a trademark long-range effort, before John Moncur (pictured) received his marching orders in stoppage time for two bookable offences. The feisty midfielder defiantly saluted the travelling fans on his way down the tunnel and West Ham held on to notch a famous victory. Ironically, a 5-1 home defeat home to Leeds United followed, compounded by a 6-0 reverse at Goodison Park the following weekend. Nevertheless, West Ham finished the season in a lofty fifth place, with some 57 points and an Intertoto Cup berth to show for their efforts.
Complete record - 24 April
2010 West Ham United 3-2 Wigan Athletic (Premier League)
2004 Stoke City 0-2 West Ham United (League Division One)
2002 Arsenal 2-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
1999 Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
1993 West Ham United 2-1 Bristol Rovers (League Division One)
1991 West Ham United 1-1 Newcastle United (Division Two)
1982 West Ham United 4-3 Leeds United (Division One)
1979 West Ham United 3-1 Burnley (Division Two)
1976 Everton 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 Newcastle United 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1968 West Ham United 1-1 Sunderland (Division One)
1954 Notts County 3-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1948 West Ham United 2-1 Leeds United (Division Two)
1939 Coventry City 0-0 West Ham United
1937 West Ham United 1-1 Chesterfield (Division Two)
1926 Birmingham 1-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1920 West Ham United 2-1 Hull City (Division Two)
Played 17, Won 8, Drawn 5, Lost 4, Scored 25, Conceded 22
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Joey targets strong finish
WHUFC.com
West Ham United defender Joey O'Brien says the Hammers are close to achieving their top-ten aim
24.04.2013
Joey O'Brien admits the Hammers are close to surpassing the targets they set out at the beginning of the 2012/13 Barclays Premier League campaign and believes the wealth of experience in the dressing room has been keen to their success. Saturday's 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic took the Hammers over the 40-point mark and back into the top half of the table and with a trip to Manchester City next on the agenda, O'Brien is looking for another strong display. "We've had a fair few clean sheets this season," O'Brien told West Ham TV.. "The manager had set us a target for the season and I think we're nearly there. If we can pick up one or two more over the next few weeks then it will have been a decent season for the back four. "At the start of the season a top ten finish was always the target. There wasn't any talk of relegation when we set out in pre-season and look at us now, we're right on track to finish in the top half of the table. "As a newly promoted team that's a fantastic achievement. Although Reading won the Championship last season, they've struggled this year. It's a hard league but we had players who had played in the top flight and that helped us from the start. "Playing left back is something different but I've been playing there for a while and it's grand. It makes no difference to me whether I play right back or left back, I just enjoy going out and playing and hopefully I can stay in the team now until the end of the season. "We've been really good at home this season, I think we've only lost four and they've been against the big teams. We've played really well here. Last season really got us in good stead. We had a few dodgy moments in the Championship last year. I think that experience from last season has helped us turn the Boleyn Ground into a real fortress."
Looking back at Saturday's visit of Wigan Athletic, O'Brien believes the Latics do deserve some credit for their display. "They're a good side and they keep the ball a lot and create chances, but we defended well at the end of the day all that matters is winning," O'Brien recalled. "They're in their position because they're not winning as many games and we're in a good position because we've won games. "We had watched a lot of videos and most of the time they have a lot of chances and have a lot of the ball. The formation they play is slightly different to what we're normally used to and it creates a few problems. The scoreline is all that matters and we kept a clean sheet and scored two goals."
The Republic of Ireland international added to the praise for skipper Kevin Nolan, who netted his 100th career goal against Wigan on Saturday, to help the Hammers record the important 2-0 victory. "Fantastic," he added. "He's been doing it all of his career, 100 goals is a really good record as an English midfielder to get that many goals. "Kevin gets the important ones, when it matters. Look at our game against Wigan, we needed that cushion and he popped up again.
"It did get nervy at times but we've done this a few times this season when we've just dug in and in the end we come out the other side of it. That's what the lads were saying on the pitch and then Nobby popped up with that goal to ease everyone's nerves and give us a comfortable win."
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Sam lends support to Jewish Care
WHUFC.com
Manager Sam Allardyce was the guest speaker at Jewish Care's latest business breakfast
24.04.2013
Sam Allardyce played his part in Jewish Care's latest fundraising efforts, taking to the floor at a business breakfast held in Chigwell's Prince Regent Hotel.
Together with Sky Sports broadcaster Matt Lorenzo, Big Sam enjoyed an early start as the pair entertained a full house in aid of the London-based charity.
Discussing all manner of things from his Dudley routes to the Olympic Stadium, the Hammers boss then fielded questions from an audience full of Hammers fans. A thoroughly successful morning saw Jewish Care raise in the region on £30,000 to augment their vital health and social care services and Big Sam was humbled by such a worthy cause. He told West Ham TV: "I really enjoyed it. It's an exceptionally good cause in Jewish Care and what they do for people in the local area. I'm just happy to help them raise some funds. And there were an awful lot of West Ham fans there! "This has been in the diary for a long, long time and I'm glad that I'm here after winning last Saturday and with 42 points on the board. "It is [inspirational]. This is the fourth event of this type, raising over £100,000 now and if I can attract the ticket sales and the sell-out that we saw on Tuesday then I'm only too pleased to do so. "Football clubs are very conscious of their community work and do an outstanding amount of work in the local areas, both at schools for youngsters and for charities."
Meanwhile, West Ham fan Lorenzo, who chaired the event for a fourth year in succession, was similarly impressed by a huge turnout at the Manor Road venue and the generosity on show. "It's remarkable how well supported it is, to get everyone up here at 7.30 in the morning, which means getting up considerably earlier in some cases," he said. "They spend heavily and it's a lovely cause. You realise how lucky you are and that makes it a lot easier to give. I was amazed to hear how much they've raised, it's very impressive. "It was nice to see Sam up this early and have a chat. He had a lot of interesting points to make, I thought, as well as having a laugh along the way."
Jewish Care's Director of fundraising and marketing Daniel Carmel-Brown was delighted with a job well done, not least Big Sam's contribution to proceedings. The charity, one of the top 40 in the country, relies on an events portfolio to generate about £1.5 million of voluntary income. "Sam's a real legend. People know him as a legend in the game and it was great for a lot of our supporters, who are also West Ham supporters. "We will have raised about £25,000 this morning, which is a significant sum of money for us. We hope it will contribute towards another successful year for our organisation and we're really grateful for Sam giving up the time. "We expect to have two or three more of these events over the next 12 months and I'm sure we'll invite Sam back again, because he was so successful."
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How the Premier League works – and why Man Utd's flappy keeper could be bad news for West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 24th April 2013
By: Terry Land
Manchester United are one of the top clubs in the world. They've won 19 league titles, 11 FA Cups, lifted the European Cup three times and are currently running away with this season's Premier League title.
Last season's turnover was an eye-watering £320million and they consistently sell out their 76,000 ground at Old Trafford. In contrast, newly promoted West Ham United have won three FA Cups, the now defunct Cup Winners Cup once and er, that's it. Historically agreed to play "attractive football" they are hoping to move into a bigger financial league with an agreement in place to rent the Olympic Stadium in nearby Stratford.
For all their resources the Reds have a long-standing problem attracting good goalkeepers. The gaps between the eight-year reign of the Great Dane Peter Schmeichel and six-season spell of Dutch Master Edwin van der Sar have been filled by a series of very ordinary replacements. Current No1 David De Gea has put in some excellent performances since signing from Atletico Madrid but it's patently obvious he struggles to impose himself physically at corners.
Last Wednesday night West Ham played Man Utd at the Boleyn Ground with canny manager Sam Allardyce keen to use every advantage at his disposal. Crucially every time the home side won a corner they would set up a screen of Kevin Nolan, Winston Reid and Ricard Vaz Te in front of De Gea, crowding the goal area and restricting his already flimsy attempts at clearing the first ball. Striker Andy Carroll and centre-back James Collins then attacked firmly hit corners as a pair.
The tactic worked well with the visitors looking increasingly panicked on each set piece. So much so that on the stroke of half-time and as Carroll launched himself at a left-wing corner Reds defender and captain Nemanja Vidic felt he had to step across the mid-air attacker, bumping with his hip and sending 6ft 3in of Geordie wrecking ball hurtling into his own 'keeper who had just flapped a weak fist at the ball. Cue an animated Sir Alex Ferguson haranguing the fourth official as he demanded the striker be sent off. Despite almost no protests from his players the stream of vitriol from the manager continued as the officials walked to the tunnel.
As night follows day, so the next "challenge" from Carroll on De Gea led to a caution for the striker as the 'keeper managed to wrap his arms with the ball around the torso of West Ham's No8. Fast-tracked referee Lee Probert has a history with Ferguson and has been heavily criticised by the manager in the past leading to the strong impression he had been "got at" by the red-faced fury over the interval.
Worse followed for West Ham as with less than a quarter of an hour on the clock and the Hammers leading 2-1 Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa's shot deflected off both uprights into the path of an unmarked and offside Robin van Persie, who equalised.
Post-match both managers were in high dudgeon. Ferguson claimed, "They're very, very aggressive" and with no apparent sense of irony, "You hope there's a strong referee — I'm not so sure we got that" before commenting on Carroll's challenge, "It's an obvious red card, but the referee's seen it differently." For his part Allardyce was as angry with the linesman as Fergie was the ref even if the threat of a Premier League fine ensured he chose his words extremely carefully, "Their job is to give the offside decisions when they appear in front of them. This was a blatant one. There is no excuse. It is not a positioning issue. He is straight across the line on the last defender and can see Van Persie is two yards offside. When it hits the post and comes to him, he should put his flag up but doesn't. He has taken a famous victory from us. To draw this game by default is a bitter pill to swallow."
I see two outcomes from the game. First, an assistant referee has denied West Ham two points and gifted the Champions-elect one.
Secondly, it is quite likely over the rest of the season the inability of Manchester United's 'keeper to deal with corners and the attendant publicity will lead to free-kicks, yellow cards and possibly worse going against West Ham by referees routinely cowed by the bigger clubs.
As for the "offside" goal? No, I don't expect any consequence…
*Terry Land hosts a blog at moxycoxy.wordpress.com. He may also be found on Twitter at twitter.com/#!/AMoCS.
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When the chips are down...
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 24th April 2013
By: Paul Walker
Well, we are almost there. And no, I refuse to accept that we are totally safe from the drop until the mathematics really do add up.
I know I am probably the only person now not prepared for a booze-up to celebrate our survival in the top flight, but some of us are still emotionally-scarred following our relegation in 2003 with 42 points, still a record and just where we are now.
But this is the time for assessment of our season. We are tenth, our highest placing since December, with us picking up 15 points from our last ten games, a season after winning promotion. It is really hard to argue against those stats and Sam's management. I still recall with disgust the two points we took from our final nine games before inevitable relegation just two years ago.
What we now have is not a team of superstars, we cannot afford that, but we have a squad who behave like professionals, fight for themselves, the shirt and us. The team that should have beaten the new champions last week, cost just £24m, and that includes the £15m for Matt Jarvis and Kevin Nolan.
We have twice now almost beaten Manchester United this season at the Boleyn, and the six points we have taken from Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool will be the difference between staying up and a catastrophic relegation.
We had four free transfers, one loan striker, plus Gary O'Neil and Ricky Vaz Te - who cost under £3m the pair - on show against Man United and then Wigan. Frankly I am not sure Big Sam has to argue his corner any more, in the current financial climate, our current position is little short of miraculous.
Sam seems to have so many detractors, I saw the Mail on Sunday's Pat Collins was at it again recently, he really does hate our man. While Roberto Martinez was deluded enough to think Wigan are better than us. Possession is one thing, finishing quite another. Also bravery, team spirit, fight and desire.
So many people inside and outside the game, have a sneer on their face where we are concerned, they all seem to know better. Old Fergie was rattling on about the ball being in the air, but the stats showed Manchester United had more long passes than we did.
Everywhere we go, managers and players have that smug look about them, but we have beaten Swansea, West Brom and Fulham at our place, while drawing at Liverpool. Every one of those managers has suggested they were the better team. The same goes for Norwich, Stoke and Southampton. It gets boring, really.
Now Martinez is at it. The same man who said earlier in the season that he does not consider goals from set-pieces to be 'real' goals. What utter nonsense.
Barcelona had more than 60 per cent possession against Bayern Munich this week, and lost 4-0. The Germans are now being hailed as the best in Europe, but looked to be playing to a similar style to ourselves, if not with slightly more quality.
They had width, a big striker and players attacking from midfield, and the ball was shifted forward quickly. I love Barca, they are the best team I have ever seen, just better in my book that the Brazil of 1970. But they were over-powered by an intense pressing game. I know this is not the best comparison, because we are talking about football from different planets, ours and the Germans.
But sometimes a little praise is due rather than the easily scripted slagging that Sam always gets. He thinks that players' reputations suffer from being associated with him, and that's sad.
And we have seen all the right attributes from West Ham of late. To come from where we were under Avram Grant to our current position should silence all Sam's detractors. The direct route to Andy Carroll is there, but also a lot of very decent football on the floor.
Sam keeps alluding to the safety of the 42 point mark, without being prepared for too much chat about his part in our downfall ten years ago when we had that exact total. And Sam masterminded a particularly nasty match at the Reebok that virtually sealed our fate.
Our current heroes Kevin Nolan and Jussi Jaaskelainen were in Sam's Bolton side that day, April 19, when our world really fell in. We were beaten 1-0, Ian Pearce was sent-off and Joe Cole should have been for an end of match rage at anyone in sight.
There were plenty of rumours after that game about the dark arts employed by Bolton that day, claims at personal abuse about family and friends etc. Surely our Sam is not like that!
Two days later our then manager Glenn Roeder was in hospital with a brain tumour. Playing Bolton in those days did that to people.
By the end of the campaign we were third from bottom on 42 points, Bolton one place above on 44, so that miserable day in Bolton did for us. I'm tempted to say, all is forgiven Sam, but it's really hard.
But then as now, when the chips are down, you can rely on Sam. He saved Bolton that season, we went down with a squad that included the current manager of Sunderland, that is when Paolo Di Canio decided to turn up, of course. You recall he spent a long time back in Rome after falling out with Roeder and playing just six of the last 22 matches, the final few for the best manager we never had, Sir Trevor.
Maybe if Paolo had played a bit more that season, we wouldn't have gone down. But then he is still a hero in many peoples' eyes. Probably not Roeder's, though. Strange that.
Also in that squad was Michael Carrick, now with five Premier League winners' medals and potentially a strong candidate for the Footballer of the Year award. Watching him on Monday night guiding Manchester United to their 20th title did make me wonder what might have been had we not gone down in 2003 and he was still with us.
The same applies to Jermain Defoe and Glen Johnson, also regulars like Carrick in the current England squad. Freddie Kanoute, David James, Trevor Sinclair as well as Cole were there, too. The best players, if not the best team, to ever go down.
Well, we have been down that 'what might have been' road a few times since. Now we have a different team - to my mind probably not as good individually as the 2003 vintage - to acclaim. And acclaim we should.
Yes, apart from a total disaster, we are safe. Saturday's 2-0 win over Wigan and Man Utd's defeat of Aston Villa has seen to that. Villa and Wigan can get to 46 point maximums, but that's not possible for both with the pair playing each other on the final day. And even I will admit that neither side is going to win every other game left now. So, yes, we are safe.
And that, just like Bolton felt a decade ago, is down to Big Sam. Love him or hate him, he does what is written on the tin.
A couple of anniversaries are coming up. Grant's sacking will be two years ago on May 15. I recall being part of the Irons army trooping back through Manchester Piccadilly that day after the debacle of relegation at Wigan, and hearing the cheers from all around that station when news filtered through about the old fraud's sacking.
Then, of course, we have Sam's second anniversary on June 1. It's hard to believe he has been with us for less than two years. And just look at us now.
He arrived when the place was a shambles. Nolan has talked recently of the club being on its knees with people not wanting to be here, and the damaging factions that dominated a humiliated dressing room.
Our owners decided to continue paying Premier League wages if not transfer fees, and Sam galvanised us away from a disaster of Wolves, Blackburn or Blackpool proportions. Just look where our former Premier League rivals are now. That could have been us without a firm hand, good organisation and experience.
I embarked on this season with trepidation. We had a team of free transfers, Championship quality players with many having injury histories to frighten anyone. I doubted Sam's reliance on controversial agent Mark Curtis, still do. But it's three Curtis clients - Nolan, Andy Carroll and Matt Jarvis - who have all played a huge part in our survival.
And you only have too look at the contributions of Sam's Bolton old boys, Jaaskelainen, Joey O'Brien, Ricky Vaz Te and Matt Taylor, to know he was right to bring them here.
Guy Demel has seemingly got over his injury problems and produced outstanding performances, Winston Reid - who I felt was a disaster in his first season in the top flight - has improved out of all recognition.
And what a buy James Collins was. He also has had injury nightmares to overcome but has been wonderful at the back. I saw somewhere a stat that says he has made more blocks in the box than any other player in the top flight this season, that says it all.
Collins has played 26 times this season, which is a miracle considering his injury record here in his first spell and at Aston Villa. What would they give for Ginge to be in their defence at the moment?
Frankly, Sam put together a squad by Premier League standards that was as cheap as chips. We now go to fallen champions Manchester City on Saturday with little real pressure. It will be nice to see Carlos again.
We probably will only get another three points this term, surely Reading will be finished by then. And just remember they went up taking the mickey out of us as champions. How the mighty have fallen.
Now we are about to see Sam sign a new contract, and a summer of wheeler-dealing being triggered. He wants Carroll and will have to use all his influence to get him. He has explained the new fair play regulations well, they are designed to protect the rich and make it impossible for the rest of us to try to aspire to that level.
I'd like to be a fly on the wall in chats between our owners, the Davids, and Sam. Gold and Sullivan want the new regulations because it will hold down wages (I've never worked for a boss anywhere who felt differently.) But Sam doesn't agree because he is being restricted. It should be an interesting summer.
As for cheap chips… my match-going pals have given me massive stick for refusing to pay nearly £9 for two bowls of chips in a Plaistow pub last weekend. I stomped away in a huff, forgetting that one bowl was for a young lad in a our party. Starving, he was.
I'm sure his dad, from the richer, posher end of Surrey, will understand when I suggest, from 200 miles away, to ' let him eat cake.'
Big Sam, I suspect, will want his cake and eat it, in the summer transfer market. And I would not be shocked to see Carroll still here next season. But for now, Sam and our team deserve praise for what has been achieved in lest than two years. Pretty or not.
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Cole's final offer
Published: 24th April 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM have given Carlton Cole a final-day-of-the-season deadline on a new contract offer. The long-serving striker has been offered £30,000 a week plus £5,000 appearance money to stay at the club. But Cole, 29, is a free agent in the summer and is believed to want to study his options. A Hammers source said: "Carlton has been made an off-the-record deal but we want an answer by the end of the season. "The deal is there until the last day of the season, after which both sides are free to do whatever they will. We believe it is a good offer."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United leave White Hart Lane with all three Premier League points on this day in 1999
24.04.2013
Anniversary
Stuart Pearce
Born: 24 April 1962
Clubs: Wealdstone, Coventry City, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Manchester City
England Under-21 manager and former West Ham United left-back Stuart Pearce is today celebrating his 51st birthday. Pearce, who takes England's young charges to this summer's UEFA European U21 Championship in Israel, made 50 starts in his two seasons at the Boleyn Ground. Famously nicknamed Psycho, the tough-tackling full-back signed for the Hammers in August 1999, having fallen down the pecking order under Ruud Gullit at St James' Park. Sadly, his first season at the club was wrecked by injury, with Pearce twice fracturing his left leg in the space of just six months. Despite that misfortune, he would go on to start all but four of the Hammers' 38 league fixtures the following campaign, as Harry Redknapp's last season at the helm saw the Hammers finish 15th in the top flight. Pearce too, moved on in the summer, making the switch to Maine Road before calling time on his illustrious career at the end of the 2001/02 campaign, with 83 England caps to his name.
Classic match
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United
Premier League
24 April 1999
West Ham United's last victory at White Hart Lane unfolded on this day 14 years ago. The Hammers drew first blood after just five minutes, with Ian Wright lobbing Ian Walker to score his ninth and final goal in claret and blue. It remained 1-0 for a further hour, before Marc Keller rounded off a neat move, slotting home to double the visitors' advantage. The Frenchman's strike proved the precursor for a frenetic final 20 minutes. Firstly, David Ginola halved Spurs' arrears with a trademark long-range effort, before John Moncur (pictured) received his marching orders in stoppage time for two bookable offences. The feisty midfielder defiantly saluted the travelling fans on his way down the tunnel and West Ham held on to notch a famous victory. Ironically, a 5-1 home defeat home to Leeds United followed, compounded by a 6-0 reverse at Goodison Park the following weekend. Nevertheless, West Ham finished the season in a lofty fifth place, with some 57 points and an Intertoto Cup berth to show for their efforts.
Complete record - 24 April
2010 West Ham United 3-2 Wigan Athletic (Premier League)
2004 Stoke City 0-2 West Ham United (League Division One)
2002 Arsenal 2-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
1999 Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
1993 West Ham United 2-1 Bristol Rovers (League Division One)
1991 West Ham United 1-1 Newcastle United (Division Two)
1982 West Ham United 4-3 Leeds United (Division One)
1979 West Ham United 3-1 Burnley (Division Two)
1976 Everton 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 Newcastle United 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1968 West Ham United 1-1 Sunderland (Division One)
1954 Notts County 3-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1948 West Ham United 2-1 Leeds United (Division Two)
1939 Coventry City 0-0 West Ham United
1937 West Ham United 1-1 Chesterfield (Division Two)
1926 Birmingham 1-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1920 West Ham United 2-1 Hull City (Division Two)
Played 17, Won 8, Drawn 5, Lost 4, Scored 25, Conceded 22
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Joey targets strong finish
WHUFC.com
West Ham United defender Joey O'Brien says the Hammers are close to achieving their top-ten aim
24.04.2013
Joey O'Brien admits the Hammers are close to surpassing the targets they set out at the beginning of the 2012/13 Barclays Premier League campaign and believes the wealth of experience in the dressing room has been keen to their success. Saturday's 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic took the Hammers over the 40-point mark and back into the top half of the table and with a trip to Manchester City next on the agenda, O'Brien is looking for another strong display. "We've had a fair few clean sheets this season," O'Brien told West Ham TV.. "The manager had set us a target for the season and I think we're nearly there. If we can pick up one or two more over the next few weeks then it will have been a decent season for the back four. "At the start of the season a top ten finish was always the target. There wasn't any talk of relegation when we set out in pre-season and look at us now, we're right on track to finish in the top half of the table. "As a newly promoted team that's a fantastic achievement. Although Reading won the Championship last season, they've struggled this year. It's a hard league but we had players who had played in the top flight and that helped us from the start. "Playing left back is something different but I've been playing there for a while and it's grand. It makes no difference to me whether I play right back or left back, I just enjoy going out and playing and hopefully I can stay in the team now until the end of the season. "We've been really good at home this season, I think we've only lost four and they've been against the big teams. We've played really well here. Last season really got us in good stead. We had a few dodgy moments in the Championship last year. I think that experience from last season has helped us turn the Boleyn Ground into a real fortress."
Looking back at Saturday's visit of Wigan Athletic, O'Brien believes the Latics do deserve some credit for their display. "They're a good side and they keep the ball a lot and create chances, but we defended well at the end of the day all that matters is winning," O'Brien recalled. "They're in their position because they're not winning as many games and we're in a good position because we've won games. "We had watched a lot of videos and most of the time they have a lot of chances and have a lot of the ball. The formation they play is slightly different to what we're normally used to and it creates a few problems. The scoreline is all that matters and we kept a clean sheet and scored two goals."
The Republic of Ireland international added to the praise for skipper Kevin Nolan, who netted his 100th career goal against Wigan on Saturday, to help the Hammers record the important 2-0 victory. "Fantastic," he added. "He's been doing it all of his career, 100 goals is a really good record as an English midfielder to get that many goals. "Kevin gets the important ones, when it matters. Look at our game against Wigan, we needed that cushion and he popped up again.
"It did get nervy at times but we've done this a few times this season when we've just dug in and in the end we come out the other side of it. That's what the lads were saying on the pitch and then Nobby popped up with that goal to ease everyone's nerves and give us a comfortable win."
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Sam lends support to Jewish Care
WHUFC.com
Manager Sam Allardyce was the guest speaker at Jewish Care's latest business breakfast
24.04.2013
Sam Allardyce played his part in Jewish Care's latest fundraising efforts, taking to the floor at a business breakfast held in Chigwell's Prince Regent Hotel.
Together with Sky Sports broadcaster Matt Lorenzo, Big Sam enjoyed an early start as the pair entertained a full house in aid of the London-based charity.
Discussing all manner of things from his Dudley routes to the Olympic Stadium, the Hammers boss then fielded questions from an audience full of Hammers fans. A thoroughly successful morning saw Jewish Care raise in the region on £30,000 to augment their vital health and social care services and Big Sam was humbled by such a worthy cause. He told West Ham TV: "I really enjoyed it. It's an exceptionally good cause in Jewish Care and what they do for people in the local area. I'm just happy to help them raise some funds. And there were an awful lot of West Ham fans there! "This has been in the diary for a long, long time and I'm glad that I'm here after winning last Saturday and with 42 points on the board. "It is [inspirational]. This is the fourth event of this type, raising over £100,000 now and if I can attract the ticket sales and the sell-out that we saw on Tuesday then I'm only too pleased to do so. "Football clubs are very conscious of their community work and do an outstanding amount of work in the local areas, both at schools for youngsters and for charities."
Meanwhile, West Ham fan Lorenzo, who chaired the event for a fourth year in succession, was similarly impressed by a huge turnout at the Manor Road venue and the generosity on show. "It's remarkable how well supported it is, to get everyone up here at 7.30 in the morning, which means getting up considerably earlier in some cases," he said. "They spend heavily and it's a lovely cause. You realise how lucky you are and that makes it a lot easier to give. I was amazed to hear how much they've raised, it's very impressive. "It was nice to see Sam up this early and have a chat. He had a lot of interesting points to make, I thought, as well as having a laugh along the way."
Jewish Care's Director of fundraising and marketing Daniel Carmel-Brown was delighted with a job well done, not least Big Sam's contribution to proceedings. The charity, one of the top 40 in the country, relies on an events portfolio to generate about £1.5 million of voluntary income. "Sam's a real legend. People know him as a legend in the game and it was great for a lot of our supporters, who are also West Ham supporters. "We will have raised about £25,000 this morning, which is a significant sum of money for us. We hope it will contribute towards another successful year for our organisation and we're really grateful for Sam giving up the time. "We expect to have two or three more of these events over the next 12 months and I'm sure we'll invite Sam back again, because he was so successful."
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How the Premier League works – and why Man Utd's flappy keeper could be bad news for West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 24th April 2013
By: Terry Land
Manchester United are one of the top clubs in the world. They've won 19 league titles, 11 FA Cups, lifted the European Cup three times and are currently running away with this season's Premier League title.
Last season's turnover was an eye-watering £320million and they consistently sell out their 76,000 ground at Old Trafford. In contrast, newly promoted West Ham United have won three FA Cups, the now defunct Cup Winners Cup once and er, that's it. Historically agreed to play "attractive football" they are hoping to move into a bigger financial league with an agreement in place to rent the Olympic Stadium in nearby Stratford.
For all their resources the Reds have a long-standing problem attracting good goalkeepers. The gaps between the eight-year reign of the Great Dane Peter Schmeichel and six-season spell of Dutch Master Edwin van der Sar have been filled by a series of very ordinary replacements. Current No1 David De Gea has put in some excellent performances since signing from Atletico Madrid but it's patently obvious he struggles to impose himself physically at corners.
Last Wednesday night West Ham played Man Utd at the Boleyn Ground with canny manager Sam Allardyce keen to use every advantage at his disposal. Crucially every time the home side won a corner they would set up a screen of Kevin Nolan, Winston Reid and Ricard Vaz Te in front of De Gea, crowding the goal area and restricting his already flimsy attempts at clearing the first ball. Striker Andy Carroll and centre-back James Collins then attacked firmly hit corners as a pair.
The tactic worked well with the visitors looking increasingly panicked on each set piece. So much so that on the stroke of half-time and as Carroll launched himself at a left-wing corner Reds defender and captain Nemanja Vidic felt he had to step across the mid-air attacker, bumping with his hip and sending 6ft 3in of Geordie wrecking ball hurtling into his own 'keeper who had just flapped a weak fist at the ball. Cue an animated Sir Alex Ferguson haranguing the fourth official as he demanded the striker be sent off. Despite almost no protests from his players the stream of vitriol from the manager continued as the officials walked to the tunnel.
As night follows day, so the next "challenge" from Carroll on De Gea led to a caution for the striker as the 'keeper managed to wrap his arms with the ball around the torso of West Ham's No8. Fast-tracked referee Lee Probert has a history with Ferguson and has been heavily criticised by the manager in the past leading to the strong impression he had been "got at" by the red-faced fury over the interval.
Worse followed for West Ham as with less than a quarter of an hour on the clock and the Hammers leading 2-1 Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa's shot deflected off both uprights into the path of an unmarked and offside Robin van Persie, who equalised.
Post-match both managers were in high dudgeon. Ferguson claimed, "They're very, very aggressive" and with no apparent sense of irony, "You hope there's a strong referee — I'm not so sure we got that" before commenting on Carroll's challenge, "It's an obvious red card, but the referee's seen it differently." For his part Allardyce was as angry with the linesman as Fergie was the ref even if the threat of a Premier League fine ensured he chose his words extremely carefully, "Their job is to give the offside decisions when they appear in front of them. This was a blatant one. There is no excuse. It is not a positioning issue. He is straight across the line on the last defender and can see Van Persie is two yards offside. When it hits the post and comes to him, he should put his flag up but doesn't. He has taken a famous victory from us. To draw this game by default is a bitter pill to swallow."
I see two outcomes from the game. First, an assistant referee has denied West Ham two points and gifted the Champions-elect one.
Secondly, it is quite likely over the rest of the season the inability of Manchester United's 'keeper to deal with corners and the attendant publicity will lead to free-kicks, yellow cards and possibly worse going against West Ham by referees routinely cowed by the bigger clubs.
As for the "offside" goal? No, I don't expect any consequence…
*Terry Land hosts a blog at moxycoxy.wordpress.com. He may also be found on Twitter at twitter.com/#!/AMoCS.
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When the chips are down...
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 24th April 2013
By: Paul Walker
Well, we are almost there. And no, I refuse to accept that we are totally safe from the drop until the mathematics really do add up.
I know I am probably the only person now not prepared for a booze-up to celebrate our survival in the top flight, but some of us are still emotionally-scarred following our relegation in 2003 with 42 points, still a record and just where we are now.
But this is the time for assessment of our season. We are tenth, our highest placing since December, with us picking up 15 points from our last ten games, a season after winning promotion. It is really hard to argue against those stats and Sam's management. I still recall with disgust the two points we took from our final nine games before inevitable relegation just two years ago.
What we now have is not a team of superstars, we cannot afford that, but we have a squad who behave like professionals, fight for themselves, the shirt and us. The team that should have beaten the new champions last week, cost just £24m, and that includes the £15m for Matt Jarvis and Kevin Nolan.
We have twice now almost beaten Manchester United this season at the Boleyn, and the six points we have taken from Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool will be the difference between staying up and a catastrophic relegation.
We had four free transfers, one loan striker, plus Gary O'Neil and Ricky Vaz Te - who cost under £3m the pair - on show against Man United and then Wigan. Frankly I am not sure Big Sam has to argue his corner any more, in the current financial climate, our current position is little short of miraculous.
Sam seems to have so many detractors, I saw the Mail on Sunday's Pat Collins was at it again recently, he really does hate our man. While Roberto Martinez was deluded enough to think Wigan are better than us. Possession is one thing, finishing quite another. Also bravery, team spirit, fight and desire.
So many people inside and outside the game, have a sneer on their face where we are concerned, they all seem to know better. Old Fergie was rattling on about the ball being in the air, but the stats showed Manchester United had more long passes than we did.
Everywhere we go, managers and players have that smug look about them, but we have beaten Swansea, West Brom and Fulham at our place, while drawing at Liverpool. Every one of those managers has suggested they were the better team. The same goes for Norwich, Stoke and Southampton. It gets boring, really.
Now Martinez is at it. The same man who said earlier in the season that he does not consider goals from set-pieces to be 'real' goals. What utter nonsense.
Barcelona had more than 60 per cent possession against Bayern Munich this week, and lost 4-0. The Germans are now being hailed as the best in Europe, but looked to be playing to a similar style to ourselves, if not with slightly more quality.
They had width, a big striker and players attacking from midfield, and the ball was shifted forward quickly. I love Barca, they are the best team I have ever seen, just better in my book that the Brazil of 1970. But they were over-powered by an intense pressing game. I know this is not the best comparison, because we are talking about football from different planets, ours and the Germans.
But sometimes a little praise is due rather than the easily scripted slagging that Sam always gets. He thinks that players' reputations suffer from being associated with him, and that's sad.
And we have seen all the right attributes from West Ham of late. To come from where we were under Avram Grant to our current position should silence all Sam's detractors. The direct route to Andy Carroll is there, but also a lot of very decent football on the floor.
Sam keeps alluding to the safety of the 42 point mark, without being prepared for too much chat about his part in our downfall ten years ago when we had that exact total. And Sam masterminded a particularly nasty match at the Reebok that virtually sealed our fate.
Our current heroes Kevin Nolan and Jussi Jaaskelainen were in Sam's Bolton side that day, April 19, when our world really fell in. We were beaten 1-0, Ian Pearce was sent-off and Joe Cole should have been for an end of match rage at anyone in sight.
There were plenty of rumours after that game about the dark arts employed by Bolton that day, claims at personal abuse about family and friends etc. Surely our Sam is not like that!
Two days later our then manager Glenn Roeder was in hospital with a brain tumour. Playing Bolton in those days did that to people.
By the end of the campaign we were third from bottom on 42 points, Bolton one place above on 44, so that miserable day in Bolton did for us. I'm tempted to say, all is forgiven Sam, but it's really hard.
But then as now, when the chips are down, you can rely on Sam. He saved Bolton that season, we went down with a squad that included the current manager of Sunderland, that is when Paolo Di Canio decided to turn up, of course. You recall he spent a long time back in Rome after falling out with Roeder and playing just six of the last 22 matches, the final few for the best manager we never had, Sir Trevor.
Maybe if Paolo had played a bit more that season, we wouldn't have gone down. But then he is still a hero in many peoples' eyes. Probably not Roeder's, though. Strange that.
Also in that squad was Michael Carrick, now with five Premier League winners' medals and potentially a strong candidate for the Footballer of the Year award. Watching him on Monday night guiding Manchester United to their 20th title did make me wonder what might have been had we not gone down in 2003 and he was still with us.
The same applies to Jermain Defoe and Glen Johnson, also regulars like Carrick in the current England squad. Freddie Kanoute, David James, Trevor Sinclair as well as Cole were there, too. The best players, if not the best team, to ever go down.
Well, we have been down that 'what might have been' road a few times since. Now we have a different team - to my mind probably not as good individually as the 2003 vintage - to acclaim. And acclaim we should.
Yes, apart from a total disaster, we are safe. Saturday's 2-0 win over Wigan and Man Utd's defeat of Aston Villa has seen to that. Villa and Wigan can get to 46 point maximums, but that's not possible for both with the pair playing each other on the final day. And even I will admit that neither side is going to win every other game left now. So, yes, we are safe.
And that, just like Bolton felt a decade ago, is down to Big Sam. Love him or hate him, he does what is written on the tin.
A couple of anniversaries are coming up. Grant's sacking will be two years ago on May 15. I recall being part of the Irons army trooping back through Manchester Piccadilly that day after the debacle of relegation at Wigan, and hearing the cheers from all around that station when news filtered through about the old fraud's sacking.
Then, of course, we have Sam's second anniversary on June 1. It's hard to believe he has been with us for less than two years. And just look at us now.
He arrived when the place was a shambles. Nolan has talked recently of the club being on its knees with people not wanting to be here, and the damaging factions that dominated a humiliated dressing room.
Our owners decided to continue paying Premier League wages if not transfer fees, and Sam galvanised us away from a disaster of Wolves, Blackburn or Blackpool proportions. Just look where our former Premier League rivals are now. That could have been us without a firm hand, good organisation and experience.
I embarked on this season with trepidation. We had a team of free transfers, Championship quality players with many having injury histories to frighten anyone. I doubted Sam's reliance on controversial agent Mark Curtis, still do. But it's three Curtis clients - Nolan, Andy Carroll and Matt Jarvis - who have all played a huge part in our survival.
And you only have too look at the contributions of Sam's Bolton old boys, Jaaskelainen, Joey O'Brien, Ricky Vaz Te and Matt Taylor, to know he was right to bring them here.
Guy Demel has seemingly got over his injury problems and produced outstanding performances, Winston Reid - who I felt was a disaster in his first season in the top flight - has improved out of all recognition.
And what a buy James Collins was. He also has had injury nightmares to overcome but has been wonderful at the back. I saw somewhere a stat that says he has made more blocks in the box than any other player in the top flight this season, that says it all.
Collins has played 26 times this season, which is a miracle considering his injury record here in his first spell and at Aston Villa. What would they give for Ginge to be in their defence at the moment?
Frankly, Sam put together a squad by Premier League standards that was as cheap as chips. We now go to fallen champions Manchester City on Saturday with little real pressure. It will be nice to see Carlos again.
We probably will only get another three points this term, surely Reading will be finished by then. And just remember they went up taking the mickey out of us as champions. How the mighty have fallen.
Now we are about to see Sam sign a new contract, and a summer of wheeler-dealing being triggered. He wants Carroll and will have to use all his influence to get him. He has explained the new fair play regulations well, they are designed to protect the rich and make it impossible for the rest of us to try to aspire to that level.
I'd like to be a fly on the wall in chats between our owners, the Davids, and Sam. Gold and Sullivan want the new regulations because it will hold down wages (I've never worked for a boss anywhere who felt differently.) But Sam doesn't agree because he is being restricted. It should be an interesting summer.
As for cheap chips… my match-going pals have given me massive stick for refusing to pay nearly £9 for two bowls of chips in a Plaistow pub last weekend. I stomped away in a huff, forgetting that one bowl was for a young lad in a our party. Starving, he was.
I'm sure his dad, from the richer, posher end of Surrey, will understand when I suggest, from 200 miles away, to ' let him eat cake.'
Big Sam, I suspect, will want his cake and eat it, in the summer transfer market. And I would not be shocked to see Carroll still here next season. But for now, Sam and our team deserve praise for what has been achieved in lest than two years. Pretty or not.
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Cole's final offer
Published: 24th April 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM have given Carlton Cole a final-day-of-the-season deadline on a new contract offer. The long-serving striker has been offered £30,000 a week plus £5,000 appearance money to stay at the club. But Cole, 29, is a free agent in the summer and is believed to want to study his options. A Hammers source said: "Carlton has been made an off-the-record deal but we want an answer by the end of the season. "The deal is there until the last day of the season, after which both sides are free to do whatever they will. We believe it is a good offer."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, April 24
Daily WHUFC News - 24th April 2013
'The fans are going to love it'
WHUFC.com
Hammers and England hero Martin Peters is convinced supporters will love the
Olympic Stadium
23.04.2013
Martin Peters MBE wishes he could dust off his boots and run out at the
Olympic Stadium in claret and blue when West Ham United kick-off their first
game there in 2016. The West Ham legend and FIFA World Cup winner marvelled
at the latest plans of the club's prospective new home and reckons these are
exciting times for Hammers supporters. And Peters, who notched 100 goals in
his nine seasons in east London, confessed to being envious of those who
will have the privilege of playing at the iconic venue. He exclusively told
West Ham TV: "There's another three years to go yet, but seeing what the
stadium's going to look like, it's going to be a fantastic stadium and a
fantastic place to go and play. So it will be brilliant for the supporters
and for the players themselves - as long as we win! That's the main thing.
"It will be [one of the best in the country. I've looked at the different
things that are set to happen and I wish I was playing. "All the top teams
will be looking forward to playing in the Olympic Stadium, because it's such
an outstanding stadium. The supporters are going to be loving it as well,
even the away supporters will love it!"
Though Peters, of course, will forever have affection for the Boleyn Ground,
he too recognises the need to move up the road to cater for more Hammers
supporters. He continued: "We're always full here and I'm looking forward to
it. I think it's exciting times, not only for the club and the players, but
for the supporters. It will be brilliant for everybody. It's such a
fantastic stadium and the support will be almost twice as much as we get at
the Boleyn Ground at the moment."
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More than 55k watch O/S video
WHUFC.com
More than 55,000 fans have watched Vice-Chairman Karren Brady's Olympic
Stadium presentation online
19.04.2013
More than 55,000 West Ham United fans have already watched Vice-Chairman
Karren Brady's presentation of the plans for the converted Olympic Stadium
via Youtube or email. If you have not already managed to catch the video
detailing the plans for the conversion, you can do so by clicking the link
below. Here, the Vice Chairman gives another update to supporters on the
latest news surrounding the Club's proposed move to Stratford.
Dear Supporter,
I have always wanted to share our vision and plans with you but until this
point, because of the rules of the process it had not been possible. I had
always hoped that I'd be able to present these plans personally to each of
you but with 22,000 season ticket holders alone, not to mention those of you
on the various different membership schemes and our corporate members, it
isn't going to be possible to present to you all personally in the time we
have available to gather everyone's opinion.
YouGov and their expert team of independent pollsters have advised us that
they have taken meticulous care to ensure that the process is transparent
and that views are taken from a representative cross-section of supporters.
However, I took the decision to record a short video presentation to ensure
you were given the opportunity to have the technical conversion plans, which
have been viewed by smaller focus groups such as the Supporter Advisory
Board, explained to you by me.
This has been personally emailed to you, and is available to view further up
this page. I do hope you'll find an explanation of the drawings useful. We
want to give you every tool possible to enable you to make an informed
decision when you come to complete the poll. As requested by the many
supporter groups we have been talking to, including the Supporter Advisory
Board, our aim is to provide you with as much information as possible in
relation to the move, so the first part of the survey will aim to help
educate and inform you before you share your views with us. I'm also pleased
to confirm that we will be releasing a stunning new image of the converted
East Stand 'Kop' at the Olympic Stadium as part of this process, so please
take a look.
Karren Brady
Vice-Chairman
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Club launches Supporter Consultation
WHUFC.com
The Olympic Stadium independent Supporter Consultation process has got
underway
23.04.2013
West Ham United are inviting supporters to have their say on the Club's move
to the iconic Olympic Stadium as the independent Supporter Consultation
process gets underway from Tuesday. The Hammers have selected
highly-respected pollster SMG YouGov to undertake the survey on their
behalf, allowing the Club to fully engage with their supporters as they seek
to create a stunning new home in the heart of east London. The poll will be
split in two; the first part consists of educational material about the
Olympic Stadium and the second part seeks to gather supporter opinions on
the move.
West Ham were announced as the anchor concessionaire of the Olympic Stadium
in March 2013 and plan to make it their new home following the
transformation the central venue of 2012 London Olympic Games to a football
stadium of the highest possible standard for the start of the 2016/17
season.
The converted stadium will be a UEFA Category 4 Stadium, boasting the
largest-spanning tensile roof in the world and state-of-the-art retractable
seating which will bring fans close to the action. The consultation process
will allow supporters to share their opinion on all aspects of the move,
including their overall feelings towards it, giving both the club and its
fans the ability to work together and make the most of the fantastic
opportunity. The consultation process will run from 23-30 April 2013
inclusively and will be open to a cross section of supporters including Bond
holders, Season Ticket holders, Academy members, Corporate members and match
attenders. Supporters will receive emails on 23 April, which detail how they
take part. All eligible supporters for whom we hold a valid email address
will receive their invite during the course of the day.
West Ham United Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold said: "The
Supporter Consultation will be the first real chance we have had to garner
the detailed thoughts of our wider supporter base about this massive move
for our club. "From the conversations we've been having with supporters it
seems most are as excited about this proposal as we are, however we welcome
and encourage feedback from all supporters whatever their viewpoint. "We are
grateful for the fans' patience and loyalty to help us get to this stage and
now it's vitally important that everyone has their say as we look to develop
a world-class new home for the Club and lead it towards an exciting future.
This is every West Ham fan's chance to shape the club's future so it is
imperative they don't miss out."
Frank Saez, Managing Director of SMG Insight-YouGov, added: "SMG YouGov is
delighted to have been chosen to provide the independent supporter
consultation solution to West Ham United. "Our role in the process is to
provide supporters with the vehicle to share their attitudes towards the
move to the Olympic Stadium. We will ensure that the process is transparent,
robust and fair and that the opinions of a wide cross-section of fans are
taken.
"Once the survey is complete we will collate their responses and provide a
selection of the key stats to the Club to publish on its media channels."
Poll Q&A
Who can take part in the poll?
The poll will be open to a cross section of supporters including
Bondholders, Season Ticket holders, Academy members, Corporate members and
match attenders. The Club was keen to ensure that every Bondholder, Season
Ticket Holder and Corporate Seasonal Member i.e. those that currently attend
every match week- in week- out were prioritised. This is why for supporters
who are in one of these high relationship categories but for whatever reason
have not registered their email address with us to enable us to contact them
via this means, there is the opportunity to be registered and verified via
the online link. This means each and every supporter that falls into one of
these categories can take part. YouGov have also selected a range of Academy
Members and recent match attenders that reflect a fair representation of the
database in line with standard protocol for carrying out polls of this
nature.
How will I receive the poll?
Anyone who is part of the YouGov determined sample who the club hold a valid
email address for, and who are subscribed to West Ham United emails, will
receive the YouGov link to the poll on Tuesday 23rdApril 2013 directly from
the Club and will be invited to participate. If you believe you fit the
criteria but have not received an email it may be that we hold your data and
you qualify but you haven't provided us with an email address or have asked
us not to contact you via this method. If that is the case you have the
opportunity to enter here via whufc.com where your data can be verified.
Can you enter the poll via the club's official website?
Yes. If you're entering the poll via the link on whufc.com you will need to
enter your correct details. These must match with the details that the club
hold for you on their ticketing database to enable verification that you are
eligible. If verified by YouGov you will be able to continue to take the
poll.
I think I fit with the YouGov criteria but I am unable to take the poll?
If the personal details you are using don't match those held by the club or
you are not part of the supporter sample you will not be able to take the
poll.
If you need to check the details the club hold you can log in to your
account on www.whufcboxoffice.com YouGov sample had a cut-off date of 11
April so only supporters who fit the sample criteria before this date will
be able to take the poll.
What is the deadline to submit your poll entry?
You will have up until midnight on Tuesday 30 April 2013 to submit your
opinions.
Can I forward the poll on to my family and friends?
If you send someone the email containing the link to take the poll they will
only be able to proceed if they are verified as part of the YouGov sample
and if they haven't already completed the poll.
I think meet the required criteria but I have not received the email. Can I
still take part?
If the personal details you are using don't match those held by the club or
you are not part of the supporter sample you will not be able to take the
poll.
If you need to check the details the club hold you can log in to your
account on www.whufcboxoffice.com. The YouGov sample had a cut-off date of
11 April so only supporters who fit the sample criteria before this date
will be able to take the poll.
If you think you're eligible, have checked your details but still cannot
access the poll email YouGov on WHUFC@yougov.com.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Hammers and England hero Martin Peters is convinced supporters will love the
Olympic Stadium
23.04.2013
Martin Peters MBE wishes he could dust off his boots and run out at the
Olympic Stadium in claret and blue when West Ham United kick-off their first
game there in 2016. The West Ham legend and FIFA World Cup winner marvelled
at the latest plans of the club's prospective new home and reckons these are
exciting times for Hammers supporters. And Peters, who notched 100 goals in
his nine seasons in east London, confessed to being envious of those who
will have the privilege of playing at the iconic venue. He exclusively told
West Ham TV: "There's another three years to go yet, but seeing what the
stadium's going to look like, it's going to be a fantastic stadium and a
fantastic place to go and play. So it will be brilliant for the supporters
and for the players themselves - as long as we win! That's the main thing.
"It will be [one of the best in the country. I've looked at the different
things that are set to happen and I wish I was playing. "All the top teams
will be looking forward to playing in the Olympic Stadium, because it's such
an outstanding stadium. The supporters are going to be loving it as well,
even the away supporters will love it!"
Though Peters, of course, will forever have affection for the Boleyn Ground,
he too recognises the need to move up the road to cater for more Hammers
supporters. He continued: "We're always full here and I'm looking forward to
it. I think it's exciting times, not only for the club and the players, but
for the supporters. It will be brilliant for everybody. It's such a
fantastic stadium and the support will be almost twice as much as we get at
the Boleyn Ground at the moment."
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More than 55k watch O/S video
WHUFC.com
More than 55,000 fans have watched Vice-Chairman Karren Brady's Olympic
Stadium presentation online
19.04.2013
More than 55,000 West Ham United fans have already watched Vice-Chairman
Karren Brady's presentation of the plans for the converted Olympic Stadium
via Youtube or email. If you have not already managed to catch the video
detailing the plans for the conversion, you can do so by clicking the link
below. Here, the Vice Chairman gives another update to supporters on the
latest news surrounding the Club's proposed move to Stratford.
Dear Supporter,
I have always wanted to share our vision and plans with you but until this
point, because of the rules of the process it had not been possible. I had
always hoped that I'd be able to present these plans personally to each of
you but with 22,000 season ticket holders alone, not to mention those of you
on the various different membership schemes and our corporate members, it
isn't going to be possible to present to you all personally in the time we
have available to gather everyone's opinion.
YouGov and their expert team of independent pollsters have advised us that
they have taken meticulous care to ensure that the process is transparent
and that views are taken from a representative cross-section of supporters.
However, I took the decision to record a short video presentation to ensure
you were given the opportunity to have the technical conversion plans, which
have been viewed by smaller focus groups such as the Supporter Advisory
Board, explained to you by me.
This has been personally emailed to you, and is available to view further up
this page. I do hope you'll find an explanation of the drawings useful. We
want to give you every tool possible to enable you to make an informed
decision when you come to complete the poll. As requested by the many
supporter groups we have been talking to, including the Supporter Advisory
Board, our aim is to provide you with as much information as possible in
relation to the move, so the first part of the survey will aim to help
educate and inform you before you share your views with us. I'm also pleased
to confirm that we will be releasing a stunning new image of the converted
East Stand 'Kop' at the Olympic Stadium as part of this process, so please
take a look.
Karren Brady
Vice-Chairman
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Club launches Supporter Consultation
WHUFC.com
The Olympic Stadium independent Supporter Consultation process has got
underway
23.04.2013
West Ham United are inviting supporters to have their say on the Club's move
to the iconic Olympic Stadium as the independent Supporter Consultation
process gets underway from Tuesday. The Hammers have selected
highly-respected pollster SMG YouGov to undertake the survey on their
behalf, allowing the Club to fully engage with their supporters as they seek
to create a stunning new home in the heart of east London. The poll will be
split in two; the first part consists of educational material about the
Olympic Stadium and the second part seeks to gather supporter opinions on
the move.
West Ham were announced as the anchor concessionaire of the Olympic Stadium
in March 2013 and plan to make it their new home following the
transformation the central venue of 2012 London Olympic Games to a football
stadium of the highest possible standard for the start of the 2016/17
season.
The converted stadium will be a UEFA Category 4 Stadium, boasting the
largest-spanning tensile roof in the world and state-of-the-art retractable
seating which will bring fans close to the action. The consultation process
will allow supporters to share their opinion on all aspects of the move,
including their overall feelings towards it, giving both the club and its
fans the ability to work together and make the most of the fantastic
opportunity. The consultation process will run from 23-30 April 2013
inclusively and will be open to a cross section of supporters including Bond
holders, Season Ticket holders, Academy members, Corporate members and match
attenders. Supporters will receive emails on 23 April, which detail how they
take part. All eligible supporters for whom we hold a valid email address
will receive their invite during the course of the day.
West Ham United Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold said: "The
Supporter Consultation will be the first real chance we have had to garner
the detailed thoughts of our wider supporter base about this massive move
for our club. "From the conversations we've been having with supporters it
seems most are as excited about this proposal as we are, however we welcome
and encourage feedback from all supporters whatever their viewpoint. "We are
grateful for the fans' patience and loyalty to help us get to this stage and
now it's vitally important that everyone has their say as we look to develop
a world-class new home for the Club and lead it towards an exciting future.
This is every West Ham fan's chance to shape the club's future so it is
imperative they don't miss out."
Frank Saez, Managing Director of SMG Insight-YouGov, added: "SMG YouGov is
delighted to have been chosen to provide the independent supporter
consultation solution to West Ham United. "Our role in the process is to
provide supporters with the vehicle to share their attitudes towards the
move to the Olympic Stadium. We will ensure that the process is transparent,
robust and fair and that the opinions of a wide cross-section of fans are
taken.
"Once the survey is complete we will collate their responses and provide a
selection of the key stats to the Club to publish on its media channels."
Poll Q&A
Who can take part in the poll?
The poll will be open to a cross section of supporters including
Bondholders, Season Ticket holders, Academy members, Corporate members and
match attenders. The Club was keen to ensure that every Bondholder, Season
Ticket Holder and Corporate Seasonal Member i.e. those that currently attend
every match week- in week- out were prioritised. This is why for supporters
who are in one of these high relationship categories but for whatever reason
have not registered their email address with us to enable us to contact them
via this means, there is the opportunity to be registered and verified via
the online link. This means each and every supporter that falls into one of
these categories can take part. YouGov have also selected a range of Academy
Members and recent match attenders that reflect a fair representation of the
database in line with standard protocol for carrying out polls of this
nature.
How will I receive the poll?
Anyone who is part of the YouGov determined sample who the club hold a valid
email address for, and who are subscribed to West Ham United emails, will
receive the YouGov link to the poll on Tuesday 23rdApril 2013 directly from
the Club and will be invited to participate. If you believe you fit the
criteria but have not received an email it may be that we hold your data and
you qualify but you haven't provided us with an email address or have asked
us not to contact you via this method. If that is the case you have the
opportunity to enter here via whufc.com where your data can be verified.
Can you enter the poll via the club's official website?
Yes. If you're entering the poll via the link on whufc.com you will need to
enter your correct details. These must match with the details that the club
hold for you on their ticketing database to enable verification that you are
eligible. If verified by YouGov you will be able to continue to take the
poll.
I think I fit with the YouGov criteria but I am unable to take the poll?
If the personal details you are using don't match those held by the club or
you are not part of the supporter sample you will not be able to take the
poll.
If you need to check the details the club hold you can log in to your
account on www.whufcboxoffice.com YouGov sample had a cut-off date of 11
April so only supporters who fit the sample criteria before this date will
be able to take the poll.
What is the deadline to submit your poll entry?
You will have up until midnight on Tuesday 30 April 2013 to submit your
opinions.
Can I forward the poll on to my family and friends?
If you send someone the email containing the link to take the poll they will
only be able to proceed if they are verified as part of the YouGov sample
and if they haven't already completed the poll.
I think meet the required criteria but I have not received the email. Can I
still take part?
If the personal details you are using don't match those held by the club or
you are not part of the supporter sample you will not be able to take the
poll.
If you need to check the details the club hold you can log in to your
account on www.whufcboxoffice.com. The YouGov sample had a cut-off date of
11 April so only supporters who fit the sample criteria before this date
will be able to take the poll.
If you think you're eligible, have checked your details but still cannot
access the poll email YouGov on WHUFC@yougov.com.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, April 23
Daily WHUFC News - 23rd April 2013
Carroll welcomes fans' accolade
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll was delighted to pick up the SBOBET Player of the Month award
for March
22.04.2013
Andy Carroll reckons hard graft and a clean bill of health have paved the
way for his purple patch, after collecting the SBOBET Player of the Month
award for March. West Ham United's No8 was presented with his accolade by
SBOBET's finance director Raye Wong, prior to Saturday's 2-0 Barclays
Premier League win over Wigan Athletic. While Carroll was rightly thrilled
to earn recognition for several fine displays of late, he was similarly
quick to point to an outstanding collective effort that has seen the Hammers
climb back into the top half. He told West Ham TV: "It's obviously great,
I've been working hard this month and I've got the award to show for it. All
the lads have worked hard, got the results and we're on a good run at the
minute. "I just needed to keep myself fit and performances would start
coming, as they have been. I've been scoring goals and creating goals and it
has been a great month."
The Liverpool loanee played another vital hand in the weekend win over
Wigan, not least by setting up his colleague and friend Kevin Nolan to
settle the contest with a crucial second goal. It was an exquisite finish
from the Hammers skipper, but nothing more than Carroll expects from his
former Newcastle United teammate. He added: "It was a great ball straight up
from James Collins, I just knocked it on for Kevin and it was a great finish
from him to get his 100th goal. That's what he thrives on, balls in the box
like that. Anything around the box or the goalkeeper, he's going to put the
ball in the back of the net for you, as he did on Saturday. "Our finishing
has been on form at the minute and we knew as soon as we got a chance we'd
put it away."
While Carroll and co are certainly producing the goods in front of goal,
Saturday's success owed just as much, if not more, to another immaculate
rear-guard action. "We knew they were going to pass it around and we just
had to sit back and obviously defend as we did and we did it really well.
The defence has been great. Jussi [Jaaskelainen] has kept us in a lot of
games in the last couple of months. He has made some tremendous saves and
there were another couple on Saturday that kept them from scoring. So the
defence worked really well and it showed with the clean sheet."
As for the season's final four games, Carroll is pinning his hopes on
scoring the goals to fire the Hammers to a top-ten Barclays Premier League
finish.
"Confidence is sky high at the minute and it showed again against Wigan.
We're more or less safe and we just want to get into the top half. We're
pushing on really strong to get that position. "Obviously I want more goals
but top goalscorer is not really an issue for me and I don't think it is for
Kevin either, just a couple more goals will be good."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Parkes catches Olympic Stadium buzz
WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeping great Phil Parkes is right behind the Club's
move to Stratford in 2016
22.04.2013
West Ham United goalkeeping great Phil Parkes has caught the buzz
surrounding the Hammers' proposed move to the Olympic Stadium. Parkes spent
12 seasons with West Ham, lifting the FA Cup in 1980 and helping the club to
reach their highest-ever league finish of third in 1986. While the former
stopper spent the entirety of his career in claret and blue at the Boleyn
Ground, the 62-year-old believes moving to Stratford in 2016 could see
further silverware make its way to east London. At the same time, Parkes
believes the 54,000-seater Olympic Stadium will provide a fitting home for
the Club he called his own between 1979 and 1990, making 444 appearances and
being voted Hammer of the Year in 1981. "Having seen the plans, they look
absolutely fabulous," said Parkes. "The roof has been extended and it does
look amazing. It's a transparent roof, so it's going to let light in and
keep the water out. It really does look like a top-class stadium. "The fact
is, with a roof over the top of it, it will bounce the sound back down to
the players on the pitch, so it could even generate more noise. It could
amplify the noise more, rather than disperse it. "Looking at the plans, it's
going to be a fabulous stadium and a UEFA Category Four stadium as well.
There are not many of them around, so it's absolutely superb."
Like the supporters who have so many cherished memories of their time at the
Boleyn Ground, Parkes was initially concerned that the club would lose
something by moving the short distance to Stratford. However, he is now
right behind the plans and believes the fans should feel similarly positive
about the bright future that awaits the Hammers at the Olympic Stadium. "My
heart says 'No', because all my memories and history are here at the Boleyn
Ground and I'll be sad to leave, but my head says 'Yes'. We've got to do it
because we want to become a bigger club and a sustainable club for the
future for the fans. After all, they are the ones that come week in week out
and they deserve the best that we can give them. "You've got to take the
history with you to the new stadium, you just can't forget it. That's all
got to go as well, that's part of the club no matter where they play."
With a capacity far in excess of that which the Club currently enjoys at the
Boleyn Ground, Parkes is excited about the prospect of West Ham attracting
more world-class players to east London. The Sedgley-born stopper also
believes the move could create a cycle of success, on and off the pitch. "It
always comes down to the team. Whatever the team's doing at the time,
they're the ones who are going to fill that stadium. And if we can get a
side that plays their heart out for the badge, for West Ham and for the
fans, then we'll fill that stadium and can move onto better things. "It's
going to be very special because everyone wants to play at the highest level
and at the best stadia. "There's going to me affordable seating, because
there are going to be more seats. Bringing it into the reach of everyone's
pocket can only be better. So we're going to have almost another 20,000
seats that we can fill, so it will get the normal working person to come
along."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll was delighted to pick up the SBOBET Player of the Month award
for March
22.04.2013
Andy Carroll reckons hard graft and a clean bill of health have paved the
way for his purple patch, after collecting the SBOBET Player of the Month
award for March. West Ham United's No8 was presented with his accolade by
SBOBET's finance director Raye Wong, prior to Saturday's 2-0 Barclays
Premier League win over Wigan Athletic. While Carroll was rightly thrilled
to earn recognition for several fine displays of late, he was similarly
quick to point to an outstanding collective effort that has seen the Hammers
climb back into the top half. He told West Ham TV: "It's obviously great,
I've been working hard this month and I've got the award to show for it. All
the lads have worked hard, got the results and we're on a good run at the
minute. "I just needed to keep myself fit and performances would start
coming, as they have been. I've been scoring goals and creating goals and it
has been a great month."
The Liverpool loanee played another vital hand in the weekend win over
Wigan, not least by setting up his colleague and friend Kevin Nolan to
settle the contest with a crucial second goal. It was an exquisite finish
from the Hammers skipper, but nothing more than Carroll expects from his
former Newcastle United teammate. He added: "It was a great ball straight up
from James Collins, I just knocked it on for Kevin and it was a great finish
from him to get his 100th goal. That's what he thrives on, balls in the box
like that. Anything around the box or the goalkeeper, he's going to put the
ball in the back of the net for you, as he did on Saturday. "Our finishing
has been on form at the minute and we knew as soon as we got a chance we'd
put it away."
While Carroll and co are certainly producing the goods in front of goal,
Saturday's success owed just as much, if not more, to another immaculate
rear-guard action. "We knew they were going to pass it around and we just
had to sit back and obviously defend as we did and we did it really well.
The defence has been great. Jussi [Jaaskelainen] has kept us in a lot of
games in the last couple of months. He has made some tremendous saves and
there were another couple on Saturday that kept them from scoring. So the
defence worked really well and it showed with the clean sheet."
As for the season's final four games, Carroll is pinning his hopes on
scoring the goals to fire the Hammers to a top-ten Barclays Premier League
finish.
"Confidence is sky high at the minute and it showed again against Wigan.
We're more or less safe and we just want to get into the top half. We're
pushing on really strong to get that position. "Obviously I want more goals
but top goalscorer is not really an issue for me and I don't think it is for
Kevin either, just a couple more goals will be good."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Parkes catches Olympic Stadium buzz
WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeping great Phil Parkes is right behind the Club's
move to Stratford in 2016
22.04.2013
West Ham United goalkeeping great Phil Parkes has caught the buzz
surrounding the Hammers' proposed move to the Olympic Stadium. Parkes spent
12 seasons with West Ham, lifting the FA Cup in 1980 and helping the club to
reach their highest-ever league finish of third in 1986. While the former
stopper spent the entirety of his career in claret and blue at the Boleyn
Ground, the 62-year-old believes moving to Stratford in 2016 could see
further silverware make its way to east London. At the same time, Parkes
believes the 54,000-seater Olympic Stadium will provide a fitting home for
the Club he called his own between 1979 and 1990, making 444 appearances and
being voted Hammer of the Year in 1981. "Having seen the plans, they look
absolutely fabulous," said Parkes. "The roof has been extended and it does
look amazing. It's a transparent roof, so it's going to let light in and
keep the water out. It really does look like a top-class stadium. "The fact
is, with a roof over the top of it, it will bounce the sound back down to
the players on the pitch, so it could even generate more noise. It could
amplify the noise more, rather than disperse it. "Looking at the plans, it's
going to be a fabulous stadium and a UEFA Category Four stadium as well.
There are not many of them around, so it's absolutely superb."
Like the supporters who have so many cherished memories of their time at the
Boleyn Ground, Parkes was initially concerned that the club would lose
something by moving the short distance to Stratford. However, he is now
right behind the plans and believes the fans should feel similarly positive
about the bright future that awaits the Hammers at the Olympic Stadium. "My
heart says 'No', because all my memories and history are here at the Boleyn
Ground and I'll be sad to leave, but my head says 'Yes'. We've got to do it
because we want to become a bigger club and a sustainable club for the
future for the fans. After all, they are the ones that come week in week out
and they deserve the best that we can give them. "You've got to take the
history with you to the new stadium, you just can't forget it. That's all
got to go as well, that's part of the club no matter where they play."
With a capacity far in excess of that which the Club currently enjoys at the
Boleyn Ground, Parkes is excited about the prospect of West Ham attracting
more world-class players to east London. The Sedgley-born stopper also
believes the move could create a cycle of success, on and off the pitch. "It
always comes down to the team. Whatever the team's doing at the time,
they're the ones who are going to fill that stadium. And if we can get a
side that plays their heart out for the badge, for West Ham and for the
fans, then we'll fill that stadium and can move onto better things. "It's
going to be very special because everyone wants to play at the highest level
and at the best stadia. "There's going to me affordable seating, because
there are going to be more seats. Bringing it into the reach of everyone's
pocket can only be better. So we're going to have almost another 20,000
seats that we can fill, so it will get the normal working person to come
along."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Monday, April 22
Daily WHUFC News - 22nd April 2013
Boleyn goal thrills Jarvis
WHUFC.com
West Ham United winger Matt Jarvis was delighted to net his first home goal
on Saturday
21.04.2013
Hammers winger Matt Jarvis found the back of the net for the first time at
the Boleyn Ground on Saturday after his cross eluded the Wigan defence and
was allowed to drift into the far bottom corner of the net. Despite both
Mohamed Diame and Kevin Nolan attempting to make contact with the ball on
the way past Latics keeper Joel, Jarvis' effort added a second goal to his
West Ham tally. "I was just pleased to see it go in at the far post," he
told West Ham TV. "I was trying to get a good cross in and hope that if it
does miss everyone, it goes in. I'm delighted with it. "Generally that's the
area you want to hit and luckily today it went in. "I'm very pleased because
to chip in with a goal is always nice and it's been something that I've
really wanted to do. "Wigan are a great passing team and we had to really
dig deep today and show what a good defensive side we are. "They were on top
for long periods of the game but we took our chances and punished them, but
we had to really work hard to keep the clean sheet. Our back four have
excellent all season and today was no different."
Saturday's victory over Roberto Martinez's side sees the Hammers edge past
the 40-point mark and Jarvis admitted the dressing room was buzzing. "It's
brilliant! It's one those when you come in at full time and the manager is
delighted. All of the players are relieved we got the three points and now
we can look ahead to the next fixture." Nolan notched up his 100th career
goal when his slick volley gave the claret and blue army a 2-0 advantage and
Jarvis was quick to praise his the skipper. He added: "Kevin [Nolan] is a
fantastic player and a great leader and I am delighted for him to get his
100th career goal. It's very much deserved. We've all seen him finish like
that many times before, he does it all of the time." "I think we have shown
all season what a good side we are, particularly at home and we can use our
recent form to push us on in the remaining games of the season and get as
high up the league as we can. "It's a tough game to go next, away to
Manchester City but we can take a lot from this and it's a great result."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Maguire's debut delight
WHUFC.com
Sean Maguire celebrated a first start for the Development Squad with his
first Hammers goal
21.04.2013
Sean Maguire is thrilled to be up and running for West Ham United after
marking his full debut with the opening goal in a topsy-turvy 3-2 Barclays
Under-21 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 18-year-old
forward has had to wait his turn since making the switch from Waterford
United in January, having made just four substitute appearances prior to
Friday night. But now that the Republic of Ireland youth international has a
first start and goal under his belt, he is setting his sights on a
productive end to an already eventful campaign. He told West Ham TV: "I'm
very happy to be honest with you. It has been a good while coming, before
that an ankle injury had me out for about four weeks and I'm delighted now
to actually be starting. "It kicks on from here and hopefully that will be
the first of many. I'm looking forward to the upcoming games and hopefully
we can end the season strongly. "I thought I had been training well the last
few weeks and the goal was just the icing on the cake. I'm planning to kick
on now and get a few more goals before the end of the season."
Maguire needed just eleven minutes to open his Hammers account, showing all
his composure in front of goal to seize on a defensive mishap and slot home.
It was the highlight of an excellent all-round display for the teenage
frontman, who had experienced defender George Elokobi for company in the
first half.
He continued: "The goal was a mistake, the defender tried to head it back to
the keeper and I thought I'd take a chance and luckily enough it fell
straight to me. I took it around the 'keeper, it was a tight angle and it
took forever to go in. I was just standing there watching, but fortunately
it went in and I was just delighted "Nick [Haycock] said he was pleased with
my performance and personally I thought I did very well. At times I could
have done better, I could have held it up better. But it's my first 90
minutes in a while and my calves started to cramp up but I kept going. "It
was a good experience coming up against George Elokobi. It's a once in a
lifetime opportunity coming up against a top-class defender. He looks like a
rugby player! But he's a very good player as well, so it was good to play
against him."
Maguire joins an already strong Irish contingent at the Boleyn Ground and
the Kilkenny forward reckons his fellow countrymen have made it a whole lot
easier to settle into east London life. "It's very different to back home in
Kilkenny but I think I'm adapting to it well. The lads are all making me
feel very welcome. They're all great and I don't have a bad word to say
about any of them. "Joey O'Brien and Stephen Henderson both talk to me as
well and I'm really good pals with Eoin Wearen, who has helped me to settle
into the club. [Fellow Republic of Ireland U19 international] Kieran Sadlier
lives me with in digs, so I couldn't really be any happier."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
42 Points and 10th place, the job is virtually done!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
So, it was third time lucky with Wigan! After suffering the 1-4 home defeat
in the League Cup and the 2-1 reverse in the PL fixture up at Wigan. The
team looked a little jaded after their sterling efforts against Man Utd on
Wednesday evening, but they were pretty ruthless in taking their chances.
Regardless whether the performance fell below that in mid-week, the fact is
that they delivered the three points and virtually guaranteed our survival
this season. Now, they must attempt to push on and ensure a top 10 finish.
To do that we should aim for a minimum of a six point return from our final
four fixtures. Basically, that probably means winning the two home fixtures
against Newcastle Utd and Reading. Anything from the away fixtures at Man
City and Everton would be a nice bonus. If we exceed that target or get
their via another route, i.e. winning one of the away fixtures, then fine.
I see that Sam Allardyce let off some steam about all the fallacies about
West Ham's playing style under him. After the Man Utd match he pointed out
how well the team passed the ball and the fact that the direct ball from the
back was only utilised when necessary. Absolutely right, West Ham played
some good passing football on Wednesday night, as they have done on other
occasions this season. My view on Allardyce is well known, he is a
pragmatist, who utilises the tactics that he fells will work best. If he can
pass it he will, if he needs to go direct then so be it. As Alan Hanson said
on a recent MoTD programme (quoting Bob Paisley) its not about the long ball
or the short ball, its about the playing the right ball. I have enjoyed West
Ham's home performances this season, although I concede that the away
performances have been somewhat more functional. I agree with those that
state that they would have liked to see a bit more adventure in the away
fixtures. Ideally, what we need is more pace in the team, so that we can
play an effective, fast counter-attacking game on our travels. We have pace
in the form of Jarvis and Diame, but it is noticeable that, too often this
season, when we have got a break away the support and the options are
invariably not there.
Two of the highlights of recent matches have been the good form of both
Carroll and Jarvis. Both players have hit a rich vein of form and have been
instrumental in our current unbeaten run of results. Another highlight was
the good form shown by James Tomkins, a defender who is destined for the
top. He possesses all the assets of a good defender and just needs to work
on some key aspects of his game (i.e. positioning and avoiding playing too
square when marking forwards) but he will get there. Unfortunately, in
keeping with the stop-start nature of his season, he has picked up an injury
just as he started to shine again. I sincerely hope that the injury has not
ended his season and he gets a chance to play again before pre-season. Two
players who have been unsung heroes this season are O'Brien and O'Neill.
Joey O'Brien has been quietly effective at full-back and I know that he is
highly rated by his team mates. While Gary O'Neill has been a model
professional, being patient and coming in and doing a good job whenever
called upon to do so. He is one of those players that does the graft that
allows other to play; while also being very efficient in his use of the
ball. Indeed, his pass completion rate this season has consistently been 80%
plus and that is a telling statistic. Similarly, hats off to Jussi for his
recent displays between the sticks, he has put in some outstanding displays.
But for me, the winner of the Hammer of the Year title is between Winston
Reid and Mo Diame. My vote is for Reid, who has been excellent all season,
with Diame a close runner up.
Finally, it was good to see the focus upon the activities of the West Ham
United Community Sports Trust (WHUCST) at the Wigan match. I am sure that a
lot of fans did not realise that West Ham's community work was led by a
charitable Trust, linked to the club. Well, the actual situation is
perfectly clear now and the match programme gave a comprehensive break down
of the good work undertaken by WHUCST. In 2012-13 they have interacted with
15,000 local youngsters via their training/mentoring scheme and related
events; provided learning support to 6,000 under-achieving children via
their WHUi Learning Zone; engaged with 10,000 Newham and 8,000 Tower Hamlets
kids via their Kickz football coaching/social inclusion-community cohesion
schemes; delivered weekly disability football sessions for children with
Autism and Downs Syndrome, with more than 475 participants; a comprehensive
programme of football courses (including school based activity, breakfast
clubs and after school sessions; and health promotion programmes for local
people.
All in all, I find this work admirable and pretty impressive. Apparently,
there is a West Ham 'community feature' on the Match of The Day (MoTD)
re-run on Sunday, 28 April 2013, starting 7.35am. Probably a bit early for
most of us, but well worth recording on Sky plus or Virgin's Tivo, if you
have it. You can also check out their activities, on a regular basis, at
www.community.whufc.com. If you want to donate by text, you can do so by
texting WHUE13 £1 to 70070.
I think the WHUCST deserves the support of Hammers fans and that is why I
have included the above information here. As well as helping youngsters in
East London and Essex, the Trust will obviously have an important role to
play in delivering the London 2012 Olympic Legacy. And that legacy has to be
inclusive of all of the communities in the locality. Speaking of which, I
was sitting in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand on Saturday and it was great to
see such diversity amongst the youngsters and adults sitting in that part of
the ground. Talking to some of them, at half-time, it appears that the
club/WHUCST have been reaching out to difference communities to encourage
them to attend matches and connect with the club via community programmes.
To me, that is excellent and real progress in making West Ham inclusive for
all sections of our community; as well as making perfect business sense in
terms extending the fan base and attracting hitherto untapped support.
All in all, with all this community focus, PL safety and the excellent plans
to adapt the Olympic Stadium I am feeling very positive about all thing
claret and blue at the moment. Everything is undoubtedly moving in a
positive direction. I know not all supporters share my view on the playing
style, but hopefully this summer will see us adding the additional quality
to the squad that will enable us to adopt a more pacy, expansive style
(especially away from home) in 2013-14, thereby addressing some genuine
concerns amongst sections of our fan base.
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United winger Matt Jarvis was delighted to net his first home goal
on Saturday
21.04.2013
Hammers winger Matt Jarvis found the back of the net for the first time at
the Boleyn Ground on Saturday after his cross eluded the Wigan defence and
was allowed to drift into the far bottom corner of the net. Despite both
Mohamed Diame and Kevin Nolan attempting to make contact with the ball on
the way past Latics keeper Joel, Jarvis' effort added a second goal to his
West Ham tally. "I was just pleased to see it go in at the far post," he
told West Ham TV. "I was trying to get a good cross in and hope that if it
does miss everyone, it goes in. I'm delighted with it. "Generally that's the
area you want to hit and luckily today it went in. "I'm very pleased because
to chip in with a goal is always nice and it's been something that I've
really wanted to do. "Wigan are a great passing team and we had to really
dig deep today and show what a good defensive side we are. "They were on top
for long periods of the game but we took our chances and punished them, but
we had to really work hard to keep the clean sheet. Our back four have
excellent all season and today was no different."
Saturday's victory over Roberto Martinez's side sees the Hammers edge past
the 40-point mark and Jarvis admitted the dressing room was buzzing. "It's
brilliant! It's one those when you come in at full time and the manager is
delighted. All of the players are relieved we got the three points and now
we can look ahead to the next fixture." Nolan notched up his 100th career
goal when his slick volley gave the claret and blue army a 2-0 advantage and
Jarvis was quick to praise his the skipper. He added: "Kevin [Nolan] is a
fantastic player and a great leader and I am delighted for him to get his
100th career goal. It's very much deserved. We've all seen him finish like
that many times before, he does it all of the time." "I think we have shown
all season what a good side we are, particularly at home and we can use our
recent form to push us on in the remaining games of the season and get as
high up the league as we can. "It's a tough game to go next, away to
Manchester City but we can take a lot from this and it's a great result."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Maguire's debut delight
WHUFC.com
Sean Maguire celebrated a first start for the Development Squad with his
first Hammers goal
21.04.2013
Sean Maguire is thrilled to be up and running for West Ham United after
marking his full debut with the opening goal in a topsy-turvy 3-2 Barclays
Under-21 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 18-year-old
forward has had to wait his turn since making the switch from Waterford
United in January, having made just four substitute appearances prior to
Friday night. But now that the Republic of Ireland youth international has a
first start and goal under his belt, he is setting his sights on a
productive end to an already eventful campaign. He told West Ham TV: "I'm
very happy to be honest with you. It has been a good while coming, before
that an ankle injury had me out for about four weeks and I'm delighted now
to actually be starting. "It kicks on from here and hopefully that will be
the first of many. I'm looking forward to the upcoming games and hopefully
we can end the season strongly. "I thought I had been training well the last
few weeks and the goal was just the icing on the cake. I'm planning to kick
on now and get a few more goals before the end of the season."
Maguire needed just eleven minutes to open his Hammers account, showing all
his composure in front of goal to seize on a defensive mishap and slot home.
It was the highlight of an excellent all-round display for the teenage
frontman, who had experienced defender George Elokobi for company in the
first half.
He continued: "The goal was a mistake, the defender tried to head it back to
the keeper and I thought I'd take a chance and luckily enough it fell
straight to me. I took it around the 'keeper, it was a tight angle and it
took forever to go in. I was just standing there watching, but fortunately
it went in and I was just delighted "Nick [Haycock] said he was pleased with
my performance and personally I thought I did very well. At times I could
have done better, I could have held it up better. But it's my first 90
minutes in a while and my calves started to cramp up but I kept going. "It
was a good experience coming up against George Elokobi. It's a once in a
lifetime opportunity coming up against a top-class defender. He looks like a
rugby player! But he's a very good player as well, so it was good to play
against him."
Maguire joins an already strong Irish contingent at the Boleyn Ground and
the Kilkenny forward reckons his fellow countrymen have made it a whole lot
easier to settle into east London life. "It's very different to back home in
Kilkenny but I think I'm adapting to it well. The lads are all making me
feel very welcome. They're all great and I don't have a bad word to say
about any of them. "Joey O'Brien and Stephen Henderson both talk to me as
well and I'm really good pals with Eoin Wearen, who has helped me to settle
into the club. [Fellow Republic of Ireland U19 international] Kieran Sadlier
lives me with in digs, so I couldn't really be any happier."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
42 Points and 10th place, the job is virtually done!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
So, it was third time lucky with Wigan! After suffering the 1-4 home defeat
in the League Cup and the 2-1 reverse in the PL fixture up at Wigan. The
team looked a little jaded after their sterling efforts against Man Utd on
Wednesday evening, but they were pretty ruthless in taking their chances.
Regardless whether the performance fell below that in mid-week, the fact is
that they delivered the three points and virtually guaranteed our survival
this season. Now, they must attempt to push on and ensure a top 10 finish.
To do that we should aim for a minimum of a six point return from our final
four fixtures. Basically, that probably means winning the two home fixtures
against Newcastle Utd and Reading. Anything from the away fixtures at Man
City and Everton would be a nice bonus. If we exceed that target or get
their via another route, i.e. winning one of the away fixtures, then fine.
I see that Sam Allardyce let off some steam about all the fallacies about
West Ham's playing style under him. After the Man Utd match he pointed out
how well the team passed the ball and the fact that the direct ball from the
back was only utilised when necessary. Absolutely right, West Ham played
some good passing football on Wednesday night, as they have done on other
occasions this season. My view on Allardyce is well known, he is a
pragmatist, who utilises the tactics that he fells will work best. If he can
pass it he will, if he needs to go direct then so be it. As Alan Hanson said
on a recent MoTD programme (quoting Bob Paisley) its not about the long ball
or the short ball, its about the playing the right ball. I have enjoyed West
Ham's home performances this season, although I concede that the away
performances have been somewhat more functional. I agree with those that
state that they would have liked to see a bit more adventure in the away
fixtures. Ideally, what we need is more pace in the team, so that we can
play an effective, fast counter-attacking game on our travels. We have pace
in the form of Jarvis and Diame, but it is noticeable that, too often this
season, when we have got a break away the support and the options are
invariably not there.
Two of the highlights of recent matches have been the good form of both
Carroll and Jarvis. Both players have hit a rich vein of form and have been
instrumental in our current unbeaten run of results. Another highlight was
the good form shown by James Tomkins, a defender who is destined for the
top. He possesses all the assets of a good defender and just needs to work
on some key aspects of his game (i.e. positioning and avoiding playing too
square when marking forwards) but he will get there. Unfortunately, in
keeping with the stop-start nature of his season, he has picked up an injury
just as he started to shine again. I sincerely hope that the injury has not
ended his season and he gets a chance to play again before pre-season. Two
players who have been unsung heroes this season are O'Brien and O'Neill.
Joey O'Brien has been quietly effective at full-back and I know that he is
highly rated by his team mates. While Gary O'Neill has been a model
professional, being patient and coming in and doing a good job whenever
called upon to do so. He is one of those players that does the graft that
allows other to play; while also being very efficient in his use of the
ball. Indeed, his pass completion rate this season has consistently been 80%
plus and that is a telling statistic. Similarly, hats off to Jussi for his
recent displays between the sticks, he has put in some outstanding displays.
But for me, the winner of the Hammer of the Year title is between Winston
Reid and Mo Diame. My vote is for Reid, who has been excellent all season,
with Diame a close runner up.
Finally, it was good to see the focus upon the activities of the West Ham
United Community Sports Trust (WHUCST) at the Wigan match. I am sure that a
lot of fans did not realise that West Ham's community work was led by a
charitable Trust, linked to the club. Well, the actual situation is
perfectly clear now and the match programme gave a comprehensive break down
of the good work undertaken by WHUCST. In 2012-13 they have interacted with
15,000 local youngsters via their training/mentoring scheme and related
events; provided learning support to 6,000 under-achieving children via
their WHUi Learning Zone; engaged with 10,000 Newham and 8,000 Tower Hamlets
kids via their Kickz football coaching/social inclusion-community cohesion
schemes; delivered weekly disability football sessions for children with
Autism and Downs Syndrome, with more than 475 participants; a comprehensive
programme of football courses (including school based activity, breakfast
clubs and after school sessions; and health promotion programmes for local
people.
All in all, I find this work admirable and pretty impressive. Apparently,
there is a West Ham 'community feature' on the Match of The Day (MoTD)
re-run on Sunday, 28 April 2013, starting 7.35am. Probably a bit early for
most of us, but well worth recording on Sky plus or Virgin's Tivo, if you
have it. You can also check out their activities, on a regular basis, at
www.community.whufc.com. If you want to donate by text, you can do so by
texting WHUE13 £1 to 70070.
I think the WHUCST deserves the support of Hammers fans and that is why I
have included the above information here. As well as helping youngsters in
East London and Essex, the Trust will obviously have an important role to
play in delivering the London 2012 Olympic Legacy. And that legacy has to be
inclusive of all of the communities in the locality. Speaking of which, I
was sitting in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand on Saturday and it was great to
see such diversity amongst the youngsters and adults sitting in that part of
the ground. Talking to some of them, at half-time, it appears that the
club/WHUCST have been reaching out to difference communities to encourage
them to attend matches and connect with the club via community programmes.
To me, that is excellent and real progress in making West Ham inclusive for
all sections of our community; as well as making perfect business sense in
terms extending the fan base and attracting hitherto untapped support.
All in all, with all this community focus, PL safety and the excellent plans
to adapt the Olympic Stadium I am feeling very positive about all thing
claret and blue at the moment. Everything is undoubtedly moving in a
positive direction. I know not all supporters share my view on the playing
style, but hopefully this summer will see us adding the additional quality
to the squad that will enable us to adopt a more pacy, expansive style
(especially away from home) in 2013-14, thereby addressing some genuine
concerns amongst sections of our fan base.
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Sunday, April 21
Daily WHUFC News - 21st April 2013
Big Sam basks in Wigan victory
WHUFC.com
Manager Sam Allardyce hailed his ruthless Hammers after a 2-0 win over
struggling Wigan
20.04.2013
Sam Allardyce was left revelling in his side's newfound clinical edge, after
battling to a 2-0 Barclays Premier League victory over Wigan Athletic.
Though the Hammers had to be patient against a Latics side renowned for
their possession football, Matt Jarvis' 21st minute opener and Kevin Nolan's
late second proved plenty to earn Big Sam's men yet another home win.
Perhaps not the prettiest, the three points were still hugely satisfying for
the Hammers boss, who insists his team are learning how to win, even when
they're not at their fluent best. He told West Ham TV: "I've been talking
about that need for clinical finishing for a number of weeks prior to this
run we've been on. I think that the quality of our finishing has gone up to
such a level now, that we've become a team that can play well and win, and
play not so well and still win. "We didn't play well, particularly in
possession, against Wigan but we've won the game 2-0. Wigan kept the ball an
awful lot, so we knew we'd have to defend deep and in numbers, because
they're very adventurous in what they do. "But what it did do is leave them
so weak defensively and my disappointment is that had we passed the ball a
little better in a counter-attacking situation, we'd have created a lot more
than we actually did, but we've created enough because we won 2-0."
It was Jarvis who got the ball rolling with only his second West Ham goal
and Big Sam was in no doubt whatesover of the critical part that the winger
plays.
"Matt has been outstanding. He has the best crossing stats in the Premier
League and not in just terms of quantity but the regular quality. So it
shows what a valuable player he has been for us this season. It was a
massive move for him, because it was a reasonable size fee for him, not a
big one. He has to live with that a little bit and find his way in and now
he has come to life for me. "The good thing is that Matt Jarvis gives our
players a rest, because when he gets it, he's going to turn and run at
opposition defenders. He's going to run to the opposition's box, do his
tricks and nine times out of ten he's going to produce a cross. It's a huge,
huge asset for us, when you've got a player who can hang onto the ball as
long as he can."
It was left to skipper Kevin Nolan to make it safe with a spectacular
volley, one that chalked up his 100th career goal and seventh of the
campaign. "What a blistering start Kevin had to this season. In goal terms
he scored five in the first ten. He scored at Fulham which put him on 99 and
he has had to wait until now to get his 100th, which has preyed on his mind
a little bit, which has been a shame for him and us. Because of that start,
I'd have expected him to get about 12 for us this season. He has got that
one out the way now and let's hope he can bag a few more in the last four.
"He reads and feeds off Andy Carroll brilliantly. He gets on the move and
anticipates where Andy might actually drop the ball, which he did, and then
the technique is there for all to see. It was outstanding technique in front
of goal, which is the hardest place to produce technique, in the
opposition's penalty area. Great finish."
The three points takes the Hammers to 42, and, just as importantly, up to
tenth in the Barclays Premier League and Big Sam sees no reason why his side
can't continue in this vein until the season's end. "We've got to make sure
we continue this fantastic run of performances and results at home. In
actual fact, this was one of our worst performances at home all season, but
we've still won 2-0. That says something about the character. We've only
lost four in the entire season at home. The fans have got to remember that
this is our first season back in the Barclays Premier League."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nolan's delight at ton up
WHUFC.com
West Ham United skipper thrilled with three points and 100th career goal in
Wigan win
20.04.2013
Not only did the Hammers claim three vital points on Saturday, but skipper
Kevin Nolan also reached a major landmark with his 100th career goal. The
30-year-old made the points safe for the Hammers with his fine finish on the
turn with ten minutes remaining, as Sam Allardyce's men registered a 2-0
victory over struggling Wigan Athletic. West Ham moved back into the top
half of the Barclays Premier League with the triumph, and Nolan was thrilled
with the twin delight of breaching the 40-point barrier and reaching his
personal milestone. "I'm absolutely delighted," he beamed. "To get to 42
points and to reach 100 goals too was nice. "I was able to celebrate it and
dedicate it to the memory of two people who were close to my family - my
friend Peter and my auntie who have passed away in the last couple of weeks.
"100 goals from anyone is a good turnout from anyone's career so I'm really
delighted to get there. Hopefully I'm not finished yet, I'm looking for 101
now and that's the main thing. It won't hit me for a few days, but I'll be
able to look back, really enjoy it and savour the moment."
Nolan's goal came following an acrobatic assist from Andy Carroll and the
Geordie has proved a fruitful playing partner for Nolan both at the Boleyn
Ground and from their time together at Newcastle United. He continued: "We
have combined for quite a few goals - he keeps reminding me and saying that
it's never the other way around! The big man's been fantastic since he's
come back into the team. "He's looking really sharp and fit - he had another
couple of good chances on Saturday. We seem to get on really well on and off
the pitch, we just click and that's helped us with our games. "You only have
to look at how many games we've played and how many goals we've scored to
see that. We feel we can score against anyone and cause anyone problems. I'm
delighted that he's here and I'm hoping he will be for as long as I'm here."
Having passed the 40-point mark that boss Allardyce believes will secure
Premier League football for another season, Nolan is looking forward to
attempting to nail down the Hammers' position in the top ten over the final
four matches of the campaign. He added: "We can enjoy it but you have to
remember we still have games in the Premier League to play. We're five
unbeaten and we want to carry that on until the end of the season. "When we
looked at each other as a squad in the pre-season, we thought we would be
very worthy of being in and around that top ten. "We're doing fantastically
well - there was a little blip in the middle, but that was only due to
injuries and the fact that we were still growing as a team. "Although we've
got a lot of experienced individuals, you still have to grow as a team and
that's what we've been doing. We've worked really hard to make sure we can
do that, we want to stay where we are now because that would be a very good
start to life back in the Premier League."
Of Saturday's success, Nolan felt the Hammers had to show a grittier side to
their game to overcome the challenge of Wigan. He explained: "We're
resilient and that's the mark of a good team. You've got to be resilient
sometimes. When Chelsea won the league and they had all those points, I
remember playing against them and they were like robots. "If you were on top
of them they were resilient and wouldn't give you the space. That's what
we've got to learn - we can't be brilliant every week and all on top of our
game, so when we're not and when it's not going quite right for us we've got
to be dogged and determined.
"There's not a lot of things more satisfying than walking off that pitch
with no goals conceded. Another clean sheet is brilliant, the back four were
fantastic with us in front working our socks off. "That's the quality you
need to be successful in the Premier League because you're going to get
those days when you can go and play well, like we did on Wednesday night.
Against Wigan, we were dogged and determined and got two fantastic goals.
The second one settled us down and I thought we saw the game out really
well."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Wigan win sends Hammers tenth
WHUFC.com
West Ham United stretched their unbeaten run to five with a 2-0 win over
Wigan Athletic
20.04.2013
West Ham United climbed into the top ten of the Barclays Premier League
thanks to a hard-fought 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic.
Goals in either half courtesy of Matt Jarvis and Kevin Nolan helped the
Hammers to an eighth home win of the campaign, while taking their tally
beyond the magical 40-point mark to 42. Though Sam Allardyce's side by no
means had it all their own way against a fluent, if wasteful Wigan outfit,
the three points were just reward for another first-class defensive showing.
In typical Wigan style, the visitors were soon into their silky stride, with
Antolin Alcaraz the first to try his luck, shooting straight at Jussi
Jaaskelainen from 20 yards. At the other end, Gary O'Neil's right-wing
corner was flicked on at the near post by James Collins, though skipper
Kevin Nolan could only balloon his header over the bar. Seconds later, Shaun
Maloney raced onto Callum McManaman's inch-perfect through ball, but slammed
straight at the Hammers' Finnish stopper. It very nearly proved costly, as
Nolan forced a smart one-handed stop from Joel, firing goal-ward on the turn
from O'Neil's cute free-kick.
With little more than quarter-of-an-hour played, Roberto Martinez was forced
into an early change, when the injured Alcaraz made way for Jean Beausejour.
But the early reshuffle didn't appear to do the hosts a great deal of harm,
as they twice went close in the next couple of minutes. Firstly, Maloney's
free-kick rippled the netting atop Jaaskelainen's goal, before Arouna Kone
skipped past a flimsy challenge or two, before lashing over. Stung into
action, Sam Allardyce's men drew first blood in the 21st minute, courtesy of
record-signing Matt Jarvis' first goal at the Boleyn Ground. The Hammers No7
cut inside onto his right foot, whipping in a centre that evaded Mo Diame,
Nolan and then, crucially, Wigan 'keeper Joel, before nestling in the far
corner. The game's first goal seemed to suck the life out of the struggling
Latics and the Hammers might well have doubled their lead prior to the
interval. The best chance fell to Ricardo Vaz Te, but his near-post header
from O'Neil's cross flew high and wide.
An untidy start to the second half saw Wigan make all the running and after
Jordi Gomez had driven straight at Jaaskelainen, Kone's 20-yarder sped
ominously goalward but narrowly missed the angle of post and bar. The
Latics' quick start prompted Allardyce to introduce Mark Noble for O'Neil.
It did the trick, as West Ham, for the most part, managed to stem the tide.
In fact, the hosts nearly got the all-important second in the 57th minute,
when Nolan ran across Diame's curler, but failed to apply the telling touch,
allowing Joel to gather. Back came Wigan, this time through Emmerson Boyce,
who, having stooped to head Maynor Figueroa's cross, was again foiled by
Jaaskelainen. The Latics continued to pour forward in search of the leveller
and came uncomfortably close with 72 minutes on the clock. The ever-bright
Maloney's cut-back picked out McArthur, whose side-foot looked destined for
the bottom corner, but for Jaaskelainen's intervention. Not able to gather,
however, the ball squirmed away, somehow eluding the waiting Kone. Eight
minutes later and West Ham settled it, thanks to Nolan's stunning acrobatic
effort. The Hammers' skipper reacted quickest to Carroll's flick, before
taking to the air to volley into the far corner and notch his 100th career
goal. Though it mattered not, Carroll might have made it three late on, but
fired wide of the near post with only Joel to beat.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien, O'Neil (Noble
52), Vaz Te (J Cole 62), Nolan, Diame (Collison 75), Jarvis, Carroll
Subs: Henderson, C Cole, Taylor, Pogatetz
Goals: Jarvis 21, Nolan 80
Booked: Carroll, J Cole
Wigan Athletic: Joel, Alcaraz (Beausejour 16), Caldwell, Boyce, Figueroa,
McCarthy, Maloney, Gomez (Di Santo 86), Scharner, Kone, McManaman (McArthur
46)
Subs: Al-Habsi, Henriquez, Espinoza, Stam
Booked: Caldwell
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Attendance: 34,544
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Spirited Dev Squad delight Haycock
WHUFC.com
Haycock saluted the influence of frontman Sean Maguire as he notched his
first West Ham goal
20.04.2013
Nick Haycock hailed the impact of Irish centre-forward Sean Maguire, as the
18-year-old marked his maiden start with a first goal, to help the
Development Squad get back to winning ways in a 3-2 success over
Wolverhampton Wanderers. After Maguire's 11th-minute opener, Elliot Lee
struck within just 18 seconds of the second half to seemingly put the
Hammers on course for a first victory since 8 February. But it was not to
prove plain sailing thereafter, as the visitors rallied, netting twice in
the space of 12 second half minutes, courtesy of Sam Winnall and then Lee
Evans' deflected leveller. Nervy though it was, a spirited West Ham were not
to be denied, bagging the winner with just nine minutes to play, when
Sebastian Lletget slid home George Moncur's cut-back. Haycock subsequently
admitted it could easily have gone either way, but was nevertheless
impressed with the character on display. He told West Ham TV: "The last 20
minutes became a battle. In the end it's a game we've won but we could
equally have lost it at that stage. It was great character, because we've
got a young side out there, with as many as nine youth team players involved
in the squad. "To be fair to Wolves they played Monday night and with our
game unfortunately being called off due to Jake Larkin's accident, I felt
we'd be a little fresher. The game plan was to get out the traps quickly,
shut them down from the front and play the game in their half. "In fairness,
I normally like my teams to build the ball from the back, wherever we
possibly can, because we're trying to develop quality players to play in the
Premier League. "But on a night like this and with the surface the way it
is, I just told them to play the game in the opposition half. We played two
up front with that in mind. We fed the ball to the front players, worked the
ball into wide areas and got into good goal-scoring positions. "At times
they had to dig in there but it's a great learning curve. To have the
character to come back and win the game, I'm delighted for them because
they're a great group of lads to work with."
Haycock was similarly effusive in his praise of young forward Maguire, who
has had to bide his time since joining from Waterford United at the turn of
the year. "To be fair to Sean, he has been patient and he has listened,"
Haycock added. "He has come over from Ireland as a part-time player and it
has taken him a while to adapt to the intensity we work at. We work the boys
hard during the week and it ended with him cramping up towards the end of
the game. "He's had a couple of games with Ireland and the manager saw
something in him when he came over on trial. You can see he's lively in and
around the edge of the box. It's not a surprise to me, because I've seen it
in training. But he jumps, he runs, he goes up against people, he runs off
players, and in between players.
"I think him and Elliot could develop a decent relationship up there. I'm
delighted for him because he's a fantastic young man as well."
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Olympic Stadium Q&A - Part 4
WHUFC.com
The Board answer another set of supporters' questions about the Olympic
Stadium move
18.04.2013
THE email address yourosquestions@westhamunited.co.uk has been set up to
enable you to ask any question you wish in relation to the West Ham United's
historic move to the Olympic Stadium. We know how important it is that you
are given the opportunity to have your questions answered. Every single
question is read by the Vice-Chairman personally as well as members of our
executive team. As you will appreciate, many of the most pertinent and
frequently asked questions are shared by a large number of you and we are
working through them all, starting with the most popular and topical. We
greatly appreciate the quality of your questions and please appreciate that
sometimes they are so detailed that they require us to seek further
information from the LLDC or other third parties but rest assured we are
holding nothing back. We are sharing all the information we have with you as
we get it. Due to the sheer volume and duplication of questions we cannot
send personal replies but are publishing the answers on whufc.com on a
weekly basis.
What will happen to the Supporters' Club?
The E20 LLP (a joint venture between the LLDC and Newham Council) will be
tasked with the letting of other concessions in the Stadium and the LLDC
will also be tasked with the letting of units in and round the Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is our understanding that while some of these
units will be let by, for example, the catering partner, that consideration
is being given to ensuring that there are both small local business and
community uses. The Club has met with members of the Supporters' Club and
has championed their case to the relevant members of the E20 LLP. Club
officials have met with key officials from the committee and discussions
regarding how the Club can further support the Supporters' Club are ongoing.
Will the stadium naming rights be sold?
Yes, it is the intention that the stadium naming rights will be sold. This
is fast becoming the expectation of any big club with a stadium of the
stature that would attract a naming rights partner. It is apparent from
those Premier League elite clubs that already have a stadium with a naming
rights partner that it does not in any way adversely impact upon the Club's
ability to retain its sense of identity.
Are matchday travel discounts a possibility?
It has always been our vision that the Club will play its part in ensuring
that the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park becomes a day-out 'destination' to the
benefit of its visitors and most importantly for our supporters. This was a
key feature of West Ham United's bid. Discussions are underway with the
area's key stakeholders to fully explore the cross-marketing possibilities
with the Park's stakeholders to ensure it becomes a thriving success and its
regular visitors can benefit.
If the Club get relegated, will the Olympic Stadium tenancy agreement impact
on the Club financially?
The core focus of our Board strategy is to ensure West Ham United remains a
Premier League club. As a Board we acknowledge that the Stadium must have a
team that befits it. We have extensive business experience and are
absolutely astute when it comes to managing the Club's finances both as its
custodians and to create the revenue required to pay down the debt and
invest in the squad and its development. We take our responsibility very
seriously.
The Club's turnover has grown year on year since 2010. By the time we play
our first match turnover is forecast to have doubled since 2010.
The Club will ALWAYS be able to afford its annual rent. Whilst we do not
intend to focus on relegation, the deal is structured in such a way that the
annual usage fee is reduced should the Club be relegated.
Where will the away supporters sit?
While we have identified some options for the away supporters' area, this is
one of the key areas that we want to consult with our supporters about.
The areas identified will of course be as a result of operational
considerations, such as segregation and access. We have already received
some fantastic suggestions. Our priority must be our own home supporters and
their matchday experience. We are aware that the atmosphere at the stadium
will form a key part of their enjoyment of the matchday experience. We are
also keen to create a ground that visiting supporters want to travel to for
us to proudly host them and to enhance the overall atmosphere.
Will there be better facilities such as WCs etc than at present?
Categorically yes. Many of the issues experienced at the Boleyn Ground due
to the infrastructure and age of the stadium will be resolved by the stadium
move. The ability to offer a world-class modern football stadium with all
the associated amenities for our supporters was a key driver for the move
due to the restrictions in developing the current stadium. The Boleyn Ground
has 283 WCs while the Olympic Stadium will have 995. It will also have more
than double the number of food and catering units than at the Boleyn Ground.
Will there be an opportunity to honour legends such as Billy Bonds and Geoff
Hurst?
Absolutely, and this is an essential part of our plans to make the stadium
our home. We have already confirmed that we will once again be able to name
a stand after our legends Bobby Moore and Sir Trevor Brooking and there are
also other exciting tributes for former players that will be announced soon.
This again is the kind of consultation that we intend to have with
supporters once we have gauged their overall feelings towards the move - who
would they like to see honoured and how?
Will the Club offices be there?
Yes, the Club offices will of course need to move to the Stadium to offer a
year-round location from which to run the Club and service our supporters.
Does the Club lose out commercially by being a tenant?
No, one of the main benefits of the move is that that Club will have a
platform from which, with our sustained hard work and commitment, we are
able to grow our revenue. This will be without having to carry the burden of
further debt which would follow if we were to the make the initial
significant outlay for a new stadium. For West Ham United this opportunity
would simply have not been possible any other way. Not only do we have a
unique opportunity to continue paying down our debt but with attendances
which could regularly top 50,000 and a further 1,000 hospitality places, the
Club has a real opportunity to grow.
The Club also retains all commercial control and revenue from its own assets
such as shirt sponsorship, retail and ticketing. It will also take a share
of catering income and naming rights. The hard work we have put in to grow
our business year on year as we have since 2010 will need to continue, but
the move presents a real platform for us to move the Club to new levels.
This revenue would be re-invested in the squad, youth development and
facilities to achieve our footballing ambitions.
Will local businesses such as pie and mash shops be able to move?
This will be down to the individual businesses. They are all privately owned
so they will need to decide whether they want to relocate with the Club or
not.
There are numerous retail and catering opportunities available in and around
the park and the Club would encourage any local business that wants to move
with the Club to explore those options. As above the E20 LLP (a joint
venture between the LLDC and Newham Council) will be tasked with the letting
of other concessions in the Stadium and the LLDC will also be tasked with
the letting of units in and round the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is
our understanding that while some of these units will be let by, for
example, the catering partner that consideration is being given to a
strategy that ensures there are both small local business and community
uses.
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West Ham 2 Wigan 0
20 April 2013
Last updated at 17:22
By Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport
West Ham's clinical victory over Wigan appeared to end any lingering worries
they had about relegation but caused further anxiety for the Latics. The
irrepressible Shaun Maloney had an effort stopped by Jussi Jaaskelainen
before Matt Jarvis was fortunate to find the bottom corner from his cross.
Wigan had a host of chances after the break with James McArthur closest.
Kevin Nolan's late volley then came against the run of play, keeping Wigan
in the Premier League's bottom three.
Wigan's Premier League run-in
27 April: Tottenham (h)
4 May: West Brom (a)
7 May: Swansea (h)
14 May: Arsenal (a)
19 May: Aston Villa (h)
Andy Carroll fired wide with a late effort after latching onto a long ball
from the back, for what would have been a truly unrepresentative scoreline.
But Wigan will feel frustrated by their inability to make their second-half
dominance count, wasting a chance to close in on relegation rivals Aston
Villa who play Manchester United on Monday. Villa sit three points above
Wigan, but with Stoke and Sunderland both winning, it was a poor day for
Latics boss Roberto Martinez who last weekend watched his side secure a
place in the FA Cup final. Thoughts about that occasion must now be put to
one side as the Spaniard aims to secure his team's Premier League safety,
starting with the visit of Tottenham next Saturday. His position is far
different from West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, whose team are now five league
games unbeaten and sit 11 points above the relegation zone with four games
left. In what turned out to be a reflection of the game, Wigan enjoyed a
dominant spell of possession in the first 20 minutes. Maloney began brightly
and had the the visitors' best chance to open the scoring when he was
slipped through the middle by Callum McManaman, but Jaaskelainen was quick
to come off his line and save the Scot's effort. West Ham appeared content
to remain compact rather than chase the ball and before the goal they were
limited in their attacking forays. Andy Carroll has been involved in five
goals (three goals, two assists) in his last four Premier League
appearances. In contrast to Wigan's short-sharp passing, Carroll was eager
to profit from any set-pieces and he went into the book early on for what
looked like a petty reaction to Gary Caldwell's attentions. That was soon
forgotten, though, when the Hammers took the lead as Jarvis advanced down
the left, cut back, and his cross carried all the way into the bottom corner
as Mohamed Diame attempted to poke it in against his former club. The goal
gave the hosts an instant boost and Carroll increased his influence while
Nolan had a penalty appeal waved away by referee Neil Swarbrick.
Wigan recovered after the break when Martinez's decision to replace
McManaman with McArthur allowed Jordi Gomez to play further forward and the
Spanish midfielder tested Jaaskelainen. Efforts from Emmerson Boyce,
McArthur and Jean Beausejour were all then saved by West Ham's Finnish
goalkeeper, with another to deny McArthur following Maloney's cut-back the
best of the bunch. Maloney was a menace in the second half and Allardyce's
team struggled to get out of their own half, much to the home supporters'
frustration. But they were soon singing their famous 'I'm forever blowing
bubbles' song when from a long-free-kick, Carroll chested the ball down,
hooked it over his head and Nolan stole in to volley his 100th career goal.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce: "While it wasn't the best performance, the
bottom line is, if you score your goals and take your chances, you win
football matches. "Their possession was better than ours but the chances
they had they either missed or Jussi Jaaskelainen saved them. We knew Wigan
would push forward which left them defensively weakened and we exposed
them."
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Allardyce on... Wigan Athletic
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 20th April 2013
By: Staff Writer
A jovial Sam Allardyce looks back at a game in which his team may have been
second best, but still produced a win...
Sam: Not the best of performances today, but you got the right result with
some clinical finishing by Nolan?
There's no doubt that if you can win a game in the Premier League and not be
playing your best, it's a measure of your determination and capabilities
when things aren't quite going your way. We stayed in the game until we got
the opportunity to finish them off, which is exactly what we did.
It ended up being a far more difficult game than Manchester United was on
Wednesday, but I think that's because of the effort by the players on
Wednesday; it took its toll a little bit today. I thought we looked fatigued
going into the last half-an-hour of the game, didn't pass the ball very well
and made life very difficult for ourselves.
But in all fairness, the game's about two things - what you do with the ball
and how good you are when you haven't got it. When we didn't have it - which
was for long periods - we were excellent, defensively, today. Very resilient
and very dogged. Our quality of finishing has won us the game 2-0 in the end
and we're absolutely delighted to be on 42 points with four games to play.
You said in your programme notes today that a win would make you safe; is
that mission accomplished?
I think so. Mathematically we're not safe and everybody wants to be that. We
have 42 points now and I can't see us not getting any more than that. I know
we've got difficult games away at Man City and Everton, but we've got
Newcastle - who are still down around there [the relegation zone] - and
Reading at home. So I can see us picking more points up between now and the
end of the season.
Are you safe enough for you to sign your new contract yet?
I don't know whether the owners want me to be mathematically safe...
[laughs]
Is the contract sorted? It is sorted.
Have you signed it though?
I will.
When are you going to sign that then?
Probably when we're mathematically safe! [laughs]
Andy [Carroll] has been involved in five goals in his last four games. Is
this the most confident you've seen him?
He didn't score today but I thought he was very good even with the limited
supply that we gave him. There's times when he's had a bit of a tussle with
the opposition sticking a man in front of him, fouling him, and the referee
not giving him the right protection. Then all of a sudden Andy gets booked
instead of the opposition player getting booked or conceding a foul.
Obviously it's a tactic used by the opposition to try and stop Andy and his
aerial prowess.
His movement today - and especially his movement off the ball - was very
good. I thought he was going to score right at the end when Matt Jarvis
stood that one up for him, I thought he was going to smash it in the back of
the net.
I'm pleased for Kevin more than anybody else. The 99 goals must have been
playing on his mind subconsciously because he's waited so long to get the
hundredth. Now he's got it with a great clinical finish. Jussi Jasskelainen
and the back four, they were brilliant today. They've played against a team
that's kept possession brilliantly and they've defended very well today, to
keep Wigan out.
Does each impressive performance by Andy improve or lessen your chances of
keeping him?
I think it improves it. Whether it can be done at the end of the season or
not we'll have to wait and see, but it proves we're buying a player who we
might have in our camp that's critical to our moving forward in terms of our
development programme.
We have to be better next season than this season so first and foremost, if
we haven't got Andy Carroll next year then we have to go out and produce a
big money signing to get somebody with his quality.
Thank you.
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Martinez on....West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 20th April 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez reflects on his side's 2-0 defeat at the Boleyn
in the post-match press conference which we bring you, as ever, exclusively
in full here on kumb.com.....
Roberto, in the wake of other results elsewhere in the country could today
have gone any worse for you?
No. The way that we are in the season it's not about the other results. It's
about affecting our points tally. We're disappointed that we didn't get any
points today because we're obviously getting to that critical moment of the
season. We've still got a game in hand on everyone else. The negative today
was the injury today to Antolin Alcaraz which changed the way we wanted to
play, the way we prepared the game. After 15 minutes that's a
disappointment. We were very soft in terms of keeping that clean sheet. We
knew what West Ham can do and the goalscoring ability that they have and I
don't think that we were strong enough to keep that. Apart from that we beat
West Ham in every single department.
I enjoyed the second half performance. I thought that was as dominant as
you're going to see an away team. [The] two teams were a little bit tired
because both played on Wednesday but we had to be the one that was getting
on the ball and wasting energy and being creative. But I felt proud of the
way the players adjusted in the second half and dominated the game. I won't
be able to explain how we lost!
We need to make sure that we regenerate, that we recover quickly and get
ready for Saturday. It's been a very demanding period for us - four away
games in different competitions probably took their toll on us a little bit
but I was very proud in the way we were the better side today against such a
club with such an incredible football tradition.
James McArthur came on today and Ali Al-Habsi is usually your starting
'keeper. Are they being rested with a view to the Cup Final?
[Laughs] I don't think we can rest anyone! We've got a healthy squad, good
numbers. Three games in a week is a huge task. We went to the Etihad against
the Champions and physically that's going to be demanding so we have to
share the demands. Ali and Joel [Robles] have been phenomenal all season. At
the moment Joel is playing in the league and Ali played in the Cup. Earlier
in the season it's been the other way round. Everything is up for grabs on a
game by game basis.
Do you think that your experience in this kind of scenario - it seems to be
annual - do you think that it will be an asset to you in weeks to come, with
other teams not used to it?
It's not the other teams. Internally as a club we know how to cope with it.
As you could see today the team needs a little bit of TLC, a little bit of
warmth and we're looking forward to seeing our fans at the stadium. We know
what to expect. There is no margin of error. We've got five games - we need
to get something like, probably, three wins I would say and that's something
we can achieve. If you look at our performance today we were the better side
over the 90 minutes. Yes we need to address not conceding goals as cheaply
as we have done today but every other department with a little bit of luck
it should have been an easy and comfortable away win. Funnily enough it was
exactly the same against Manchester City at their place. I am very happy
with the attitude of the players, the workrate, the mentality and it's an
exciting challenge for us.
You must be very happy with Shaun Maloney - man of the match on a losing
side for me
Shaun is a special footballer. He's one of those footballers who relies on
his natural talent. I think technically he gave a lesson to any young
players watching the game in how to receive the ball be aware around you and
how you turn. He's a phenomenal footballer. It was a shame that he got in a
great position one v one with Jaaskalainen - and he was superb today. Shaun
Maloney is one of those players you'd pay big money to watch on a regular
basis and we're very fortunate to have him.
That chance could have changed the game..
Yeah clearly. Remember the first goal today was going to dictate a lot. The
grass was very long - I don't know if there was a problem with the machines
[laughter] and after playing on Wednesday the team that had to come out and
be creative and expose was going to find it difficult. From us nearly
scoring a goal to West Ham scoring a goal it changed the roles in the game.
But I was very proud at the way in the second half we applied ourselves. The
crowd was phenomenal - very supportive of the home team - but I never saw
such a dominant display from a team away from home in the Premier League for
a long time.
How is Antolin [Alcaraz]
It's a soft tissue injury. His left hamstring. Probably an accumulation of
games more than anything. Nothing serious but with soft tissue injuries
you're probably talking about anything from 7-10 days. We'll see how it is
tomorrow.
Thank you!
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Hammers to face Teutonic test
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 20th April 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are set to face Bundesliga club SV Hamburg in a pre-season friendly
this July. The Hammers will face HSV, one of Germany's oldest and most
famous clubs as part of a five-day pre-season training programme that will
see them visit the country from 19th-24th of July. One of a select few never
to have been relegated from the top tier of German fooball - and the only
team never to have been relegated from the Bundesliga since its inception in
1963 - HSV have won the German title six times, but not since 1983. Prior to
the 2011/12 campaign, the club had finished in the Bundesliga's top ten on
each of the nine preceeding seasons. Eighth in the current standings with 44
points from 30 games, HSV are on course to complete a top ten finish once
again. The game between HSV and West Ham is set to be played in the
Flensburg Stadium, which is situated around 100 miles north of Hamburg on
the German and Danish border.
We'll have more details and ticket news for you once details have been
confirmed.
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West Ham see off relegation-haunted Wigan at Upton Park
Last Updated: April 20, 2013 6:41pm
SSN
Kevin Nolan netted his 100th career goal as West Ham United pushed Wigan
Athletic a little deeper into the relegation mire with a 2-0 victory at
Upton Park.
A cross from Matt Jarvis which was allowed to slip past a clutch of bodies
in a crowded penalty area and into the bottom corner opened the scoring
during a tight first half.
Best of the match...
Man of the match: James Collins. Put himself in the way of everything as
West Ham were forced to defend for long periods.
Goal of the match: Kevin Nolan did really well to turn an acrobatic volley
into the corner after Andy Carroll had flicked on.
Save of the match: Jussi Jasskelainen produced a brilliant stop to deny
James McArthur when the Hammers were only 1-0 in front.
Moment of the match: Shaun Maloney squandered an early opportunity for
Wigan, and they were made to pay.
Talking point: Can West Ham now finish in the top-half after ending any
relegation fears? Have Wigan got enough left in the tank to steer a course
to safety?
The Hammers netted their second of the afternoon 10 minutes from time when
Nolan turned an acrobatic volley into the back of the net - and they are now
through the 40-point mark for the season while the Latics continue to
languish in the bottom three. Wigan started brightly and were the first side
to create an opening as Antolin Alcaraz - who was replaced after 15 minutes
due to injury - fired a low shot straight at Jussi Jaaskelainen. Hammers
skipper Nolan had found the net just once since the turn of the year before
the clash with Wigan, but he had two half chances to open the scoring as the
hosts came back into the game. Firstly he could not rise high enough to make
meaningful contact with a Gary O'Neil corner that had been flicked into his
path by James Collins before latching onto a free-kick and seeing his volley
pushed clear by Wigan goalkeeper Joel Robles. Dead-ball specialist Shaun
Maloney put a 22-yard free-kick just over Jaaskelainen's bar with both sides
still in search of the opening goal.
It came just four minutes later when Jarvis' cross from the left flank
evaded both Mohamed Diame and Nolan before sneaking inside Robles' far post.
West Ham then had strong claims for a penalty following an exchange of
passes between Ricardo Vaz Te and Nolan, with James McCarthy appearing to
trip Nolan as he prepared to shoot. Roberto Martinez made his second change
at half-time as he introduced James McArthur in place of Callum McManaman.
The visitors came out attacking with both Jordi Gomez and Arouna Kone having
strikes at Jaaskelainen's goal within two minutes of the re-start. Wigan
finally created a decent opportunity as Maynor Figueroa lofted a ball over
the West Ham defence and Emmerson Boyce's diving header was kept out by
Jaaskelainen. That effort seemed to galvanise Martinez's side and they
dominated for the next 15 minutes, culminating with substitute James
McArthur forcing a smart save out of the Finnish goalkeeper with 20 minutes
remaining. Paul Scharner then headed straight at Jaaskelainen when free
inside the area with the home fans starting to show their tension as their
fragile lead continued to be threatened. But those worries were put to bed
with a little over 10 minutes remaining as Nolan latched on to Carroll's
pass to volley West Ham into a two-goal lead and score his seventh goal of
the season. Carroll should have added a third himself after bursting into
the area but he put his shot wide.
Roberto Martinez claimed afterwards that luck had deserted Wigan once again,
but is confident they can steer clear of trouble if they maintain their
current performance level. He told Sky Sports: "The two goals that we
conceded are a little bit soft, but if you look at the overall balance of
play and the amount of chances that we created, we deserved to get much more
than what we got today. "Sometimes you have moments like that in a season
when you play very well and luck doesn't allow you to collect the rewards
that you deserve. If we keep performing like that, we will get the points
that we need."
Sam Allardyce believes West Ham are now safe and is looking for them to keep
their foot on the gas and wrap up a top-half finish. He told Sky Sports:
"It's our first season back in the big league and if we can finish around
this position, this was our maximum finish for us this season. We felt that
our absolute maximum would be around tenth, if we could get there. "I know
mathematically we are still not safe and people will say I shouldn't say
this, but it's been a long, long time since someone went down with 42
points."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce is looking for West Ham to maintain their top-half standing
Last Updated: April 20, 2013 8:46pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce is looking for West Ham United to cling on to their lofty
perch after rising into the top half of the Premier League table. The
Hammers made their way into 10th place on Saturday on the back of a 2-0
victory over Wigan Athletic. Allardyce's side have found form at just the
right time, with a five-match unbeaten run taking them through the 40-point
barrier and ending any lingering relegation fears. The target now is to
maintain those standards and end the campaign inside the top 10. Allardyce
told Sky Sports: "Very pleased, and tenth in the Premier League. It's our
first season back in the big league and if we can finish around this
position, this was our maximum finish for us this season. We felt that our
absolute maximum would be around tenth, if we could get there.
"It's our first season back in the big league and if we can finish around
this position, this was our maximum finish for us this season." "We have
had a really good run, I think in the last 10 games we have lost only three
of those 10, won four and drawn three. "We have put a really good stint in
at the end of the season after a difficult time with all the injuries we had
in December. We have really stepped up to the mark again and we have done a
clinical job today, a professional job. "We made life very difficult for
Wigan, even with all the possession they had to create open and clear cut
chances. At the other end, we showed that we have become more clinical in
our finishing over the last few weeks, and that's why we are picking up wins
instead of the losses through December. "The clinical finishing today -
Matt Jarvis' cross-cum-goal and Kevin Nolan's finish for his 100th goal -
edged us just ahead of Wigan and got us a very valuable three points to take
us to 42. "I know mathematically we are still not safe and people will say I
shouldn't say this, but it's been a long, long time since someone went down
with 42 points."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Manager Sam Allardyce hailed his ruthless Hammers after a 2-0 win over
struggling Wigan
20.04.2013
Sam Allardyce was left revelling in his side's newfound clinical edge, after
battling to a 2-0 Barclays Premier League victory over Wigan Athletic.
Though the Hammers had to be patient against a Latics side renowned for
their possession football, Matt Jarvis' 21st minute opener and Kevin Nolan's
late second proved plenty to earn Big Sam's men yet another home win.
Perhaps not the prettiest, the three points were still hugely satisfying for
the Hammers boss, who insists his team are learning how to win, even when
they're not at their fluent best. He told West Ham TV: "I've been talking
about that need for clinical finishing for a number of weeks prior to this
run we've been on. I think that the quality of our finishing has gone up to
such a level now, that we've become a team that can play well and win, and
play not so well and still win. "We didn't play well, particularly in
possession, against Wigan but we've won the game 2-0. Wigan kept the ball an
awful lot, so we knew we'd have to defend deep and in numbers, because
they're very adventurous in what they do. "But what it did do is leave them
so weak defensively and my disappointment is that had we passed the ball a
little better in a counter-attacking situation, we'd have created a lot more
than we actually did, but we've created enough because we won 2-0."
It was Jarvis who got the ball rolling with only his second West Ham goal
and Big Sam was in no doubt whatesover of the critical part that the winger
plays.
"Matt has been outstanding. He has the best crossing stats in the Premier
League and not in just terms of quantity but the regular quality. So it
shows what a valuable player he has been for us this season. It was a
massive move for him, because it was a reasonable size fee for him, not a
big one. He has to live with that a little bit and find his way in and now
he has come to life for me. "The good thing is that Matt Jarvis gives our
players a rest, because when he gets it, he's going to turn and run at
opposition defenders. He's going to run to the opposition's box, do his
tricks and nine times out of ten he's going to produce a cross. It's a huge,
huge asset for us, when you've got a player who can hang onto the ball as
long as he can."
It was left to skipper Kevin Nolan to make it safe with a spectacular
volley, one that chalked up his 100th career goal and seventh of the
campaign. "What a blistering start Kevin had to this season. In goal terms
he scored five in the first ten. He scored at Fulham which put him on 99 and
he has had to wait until now to get his 100th, which has preyed on his mind
a little bit, which has been a shame for him and us. Because of that start,
I'd have expected him to get about 12 for us this season. He has got that
one out the way now and let's hope he can bag a few more in the last four.
"He reads and feeds off Andy Carroll brilliantly. He gets on the move and
anticipates where Andy might actually drop the ball, which he did, and then
the technique is there for all to see. It was outstanding technique in front
of goal, which is the hardest place to produce technique, in the
opposition's penalty area. Great finish."
The three points takes the Hammers to 42, and, just as importantly, up to
tenth in the Barclays Premier League and Big Sam sees no reason why his side
can't continue in this vein until the season's end. "We've got to make sure
we continue this fantastic run of performances and results at home. In
actual fact, this was one of our worst performances at home all season, but
we've still won 2-0. That says something about the character. We've only
lost four in the entire season at home. The fans have got to remember that
this is our first season back in the Barclays Premier League."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nolan's delight at ton up
WHUFC.com
West Ham United skipper thrilled with three points and 100th career goal in
Wigan win
20.04.2013
Not only did the Hammers claim three vital points on Saturday, but skipper
Kevin Nolan also reached a major landmark with his 100th career goal. The
30-year-old made the points safe for the Hammers with his fine finish on the
turn with ten minutes remaining, as Sam Allardyce's men registered a 2-0
victory over struggling Wigan Athletic. West Ham moved back into the top
half of the Barclays Premier League with the triumph, and Nolan was thrilled
with the twin delight of breaching the 40-point barrier and reaching his
personal milestone. "I'm absolutely delighted," he beamed. "To get to 42
points and to reach 100 goals too was nice. "I was able to celebrate it and
dedicate it to the memory of two people who were close to my family - my
friend Peter and my auntie who have passed away in the last couple of weeks.
"100 goals from anyone is a good turnout from anyone's career so I'm really
delighted to get there. Hopefully I'm not finished yet, I'm looking for 101
now and that's the main thing. It won't hit me for a few days, but I'll be
able to look back, really enjoy it and savour the moment."
Nolan's goal came following an acrobatic assist from Andy Carroll and the
Geordie has proved a fruitful playing partner for Nolan both at the Boleyn
Ground and from their time together at Newcastle United. He continued: "We
have combined for quite a few goals - he keeps reminding me and saying that
it's never the other way around! The big man's been fantastic since he's
come back into the team. "He's looking really sharp and fit - he had another
couple of good chances on Saturday. We seem to get on really well on and off
the pitch, we just click and that's helped us with our games. "You only have
to look at how many games we've played and how many goals we've scored to
see that. We feel we can score against anyone and cause anyone problems. I'm
delighted that he's here and I'm hoping he will be for as long as I'm here."
Having passed the 40-point mark that boss Allardyce believes will secure
Premier League football for another season, Nolan is looking forward to
attempting to nail down the Hammers' position in the top ten over the final
four matches of the campaign. He added: "We can enjoy it but you have to
remember we still have games in the Premier League to play. We're five
unbeaten and we want to carry that on until the end of the season. "When we
looked at each other as a squad in the pre-season, we thought we would be
very worthy of being in and around that top ten. "We're doing fantastically
well - there was a little blip in the middle, but that was only due to
injuries and the fact that we were still growing as a team. "Although we've
got a lot of experienced individuals, you still have to grow as a team and
that's what we've been doing. We've worked really hard to make sure we can
do that, we want to stay where we are now because that would be a very good
start to life back in the Premier League."
Of Saturday's success, Nolan felt the Hammers had to show a grittier side to
their game to overcome the challenge of Wigan. He explained: "We're
resilient and that's the mark of a good team. You've got to be resilient
sometimes. When Chelsea won the league and they had all those points, I
remember playing against them and they were like robots. "If you were on top
of them they were resilient and wouldn't give you the space. That's what
we've got to learn - we can't be brilliant every week and all on top of our
game, so when we're not and when it's not going quite right for us we've got
to be dogged and determined.
"There's not a lot of things more satisfying than walking off that pitch
with no goals conceded. Another clean sheet is brilliant, the back four were
fantastic with us in front working our socks off. "That's the quality you
need to be successful in the Premier League because you're going to get
those days when you can go and play well, like we did on Wednesday night.
Against Wigan, we were dogged and determined and got two fantastic goals.
The second one settled us down and I thought we saw the game out really
well."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Wigan win sends Hammers tenth
WHUFC.com
West Ham United stretched their unbeaten run to five with a 2-0 win over
Wigan Athletic
20.04.2013
West Ham United climbed into the top ten of the Barclays Premier League
thanks to a hard-fought 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic.
Goals in either half courtesy of Matt Jarvis and Kevin Nolan helped the
Hammers to an eighth home win of the campaign, while taking their tally
beyond the magical 40-point mark to 42. Though Sam Allardyce's side by no
means had it all their own way against a fluent, if wasteful Wigan outfit,
the three points were just reward for another first-class defensive showing.
In typical Wigan style, the visitors were soon into their silky stride, with
Antolin Alcaraz the first to try his luck, shooting straight at Jussi
Jaaskelainen from 20 yards. At the other end, Gary O'Neil's right-wing
corner was flicked on at the near post by James Collins, though skipper
Kevin Nolan could only balloon his header over the bar. Seconds later, Shaun
Maloney raced onto Callum McManaman's inch-perfect through ball, but slammed
straight at the Hammers' Finnish stopper. It very nearly proved costly, as
Nolan forced a smart one-handed stop from Joel, firing goal-ward on the turn
from O'Neil's cute free-kick.
With little more than quarter-of-an-hour played, Roberto Martinez was forced
into an early change, when the injured Alcaraz made way for Jean Beausejour.
But the early reshuffle didn't appear to do the hosts a great deal of harm,
as they twice went close in the next couple of minutes. Firstly, Maloney's
free-kick rippled the netting atop Jaaskelainen's goal, before Arouna Kone
skipped past a flimsy challenge or two, before lashing over. Stung into
action, Sam Allardyce's men drew first blood in the 21st minute, courtesy of
record-signing Matt Jarvis' first goal at the Boleyn Ground. The Hammers No7
cut inside onto his right foot, whipping in a centre that evaded Mo Diame,
Nolan and then, crucially, Wigan 'keeper Joel, before nestling in the far
corner. The game's first goal seemed to suck the life out of the struggling
Latics and the Hammers might well have doubled their lead prior to the
interval. The best chance fell to Ricardo Vaz Te, but his near-post header
from O'Neil's cross flew high and wide.
An untidy start to the second half saw Wigan make all the running and after
Jordi Gomez had driven straight at Jaaskelainen, Kone's 20-yarder sped
ominously goalward but narrowly missed the angle of post and bar. The
Latics' quick start prompted Allardyce to introduce Mark Noble for O'Neil.
It did the trick, as West Ham, for the most part, managed to stem the tide.
In fact, the hosts nearly got the all-important second in the 57th minute,
when Nolan ran across Diame's curler, but failed to apply the telling touch,
allowing Joel to gather. Back came Wigan, this time through Emmerson Boyce,
who, having stooped to head Maynor Figueroa's cross, was again foiled by
Jaaskelainen. The Latics continued to pour forward in search of the leveller
and came uncomfortably close with 72 minutes on the clock. The ever-bright
Maloney's cut-back picked out McArthur, whose side-foot looked destined for
the bottom corner, but for Jaaskelainen's intervention. Not able to gather,
however, the ball squirmed away, somehow eluding the waiting Kone. Eight
minutes later and West Ham settled it, thanks to Nolan's stunning acrobatic
effort. The Hammers' skipper reacted quickest to Carroll's flick, before
taking to the air to volley into the far corner and notch his 100th career
goal. Though it mattered not, Carroll might have made it three late on, but
fired wide of the near post with only Joel to beat.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien, O'Neil (Noble
52), Vaz Te (J Cole 62), Nolan, Diame (Collison 75), Jarvis, Carroll
Subs: Henderson, C Cole, Taylor, Pogatetz
Goals: Jarvis 21, Nolan 80
Booked: Carroll, J Cole
Wigan Athletic: Joel, Alcaraz (Beausejour 16), Caldwell, Boyce, Figueroa,
McCarthy, Maloney, Gomez (Di Santo 86), Scharner, Kone, McManaman (McArthur
46)
Subs: Al-Habsi, Henriquez, Espinoza, Stam
Booked: Caldwell
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Attendance: 34,544
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Spirited Dev Squad delight Haycock
WHUFC.com
Haycock saluted the influence of frontman Sean Maguire as he notched his
first West Ham goal
20.04.2013
Nick Haycock hailed the impact of Irish centre-forward Sean Maguire, as the
18-year-old marked his maiden start with a first goal, to help the
Development Squad get back to winning ways in a 3-2 success over
Wolverhampton Wanderers. After Maguire's 11th-minute opener, Elliot Lee
struck within just 18 seconds of the second half to seemingly put the
Hammers on course for a first victory since 8 February. But it was not to
prove plain sailing thereafter, as the visitors rallied, netting twice in
the space of 12 second half minutes, courtesy of Sam Winnall and then Lee
Evans' deflected leveller. Nervy though it was, a spirited West Ham were not
to be denied, bagging the winner with just nine minutes to play, when
Sebastian Lletget slid home George Moncur's cut-back. Haycock subsequently
admitted it could easily have gone either way, but was nevertheless
impressed with the character on display. He told West Ham TV: "The last 20
minutes became a battle. In the end it's a game we've won but we could
equally have lost it at that stage. It was great character, because we've
got a young side out there, with as many as nine youth team players involved
in the squad. "To be fair to Wolves they played Monday night and with our
game unfortunately being called off due to Jake Larkin's accident, I felt
we'd be a little fresher. The game plan was to get out the traps quickly,
shut them down from the front and play the game in their half. "In fairness,
I normally like my teams to build the ball from the back, wherever we
possibly can, because we're trying to develop quality players to play in the
Premier League. "But on a night like this and with the surface the way it
is, I just told them to play the game in the opposition half. We played two
up front with that in mind. We fed the ball to the front players, worked the
ball into wide areas and got into good goal-scoring positions. "At times
they had to dig in there but it's a great learning curve. To have the
character to come back and win the game, I'm delighted for them because
they're a great group of lads to work with."
Haycock was similarly effusive in his praise of young forward Maguire, who
has had to bide his time since joining from Waterford United at the turn of
the year. "To be fair to Sean, he has been patient and he has listened,"
Haycock added. "He has come over from Ireland as a part-time player and it
has taken him a while to adapt to the intensity we work at. We work the boys
hard during the week and it ended with him cramping up towards the end of
the game. "He's had a couple of games with Ireland and the manager saw
something in him when he came over on trial. You can see he's lively in and
around the edge of the box. It's not a surprise to me, because I've seen it
in training. But he jumps, he runs, he goes up against people, he runs off
players, and in between players.
"I think him and Elliot could develop a decent relationship up there. I'm
delighted for him because he's a fantastic young man as well."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Olympic Stadium Q&A - Part 4
WHUFC.com
The Board answer another set of supporters' questions about the Olympic
Stadium move
18.04.2013
THE email address yourosquestions@westhamunited.co.uk has been set up to
enable you to ask any question you wish in relation to the West Ham United's
historic move to the Olympic Stadium. We know how important it is that you
are given the opportunity to have your questions answered. Every single
question is read by the Vice-Chairman personally as well as members of our
executive team. As you will appreciate, many of the most pertinent and
frequently asked questions are shared by a large number of you and we are
working through them all, starting with the most popular and topical. We
greatly appreciate the quality of your questions and please appreciate that
sometimes they are so detailed that they require us to seek further
information from the LLDC or other third parties but rest assured we are
holding nothing back. We are sharing all the information we have with you as
we get it. Due to the sheer volume and duplication of questions we cannot
send personal replies but are publishing the answers on whufc.com on a
weekly basis.
What will happen to the Supporters' Club?
The E20 LLP (a joint venture between the LLDC and Newham Council) will be
tasked with the letting of other concessions in the Stadium and the LLDC
will also be tasked with the letting of units in and round the Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is our understanding that while some of these
units will be let by, for example, the catering partner, that consideration
is being given to ensuring that there are both small local business and
community uses. The Club has met with members of the Supporters' Club and
has championed their case to the relevant members of the E20 LLP. Club
officials have met with key officials from the committee and discussions
regarding how the Club can further support the Supporters' Club are ongoing.
Will the stadium naming rights be sold?
Yes, it is the intention that the stadium naming rights will be sold. This
is fast becoming the expectation of any big club with a stadium of the
stature that would attract a naming rights partner. It is apparent from
those Premier League elite clubs that already have a stadium with a naming
rights partner that it does not in any way adversely impact upon the Club's
ability to retain its sense of identity.
Are matchday travel discounts a possibility?
It has always been our vision that the Club will play its part in ensuring
that the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park becomes a day-out 'destination' to the
benefit of its visitors and most importantly for our supporters. This was a
key feature of West Ham United's bid. Discussions are underway with the
area's key stakeholders to fully explore the cross-marketing possibilities
with the Park's stakeholders to ensure it becomes a thriving success and its
regular visitors can benefit.
If the Club get relegated, will the Olympic Stadium tenancy agreement impact
on the Club financially?
The core focus of our Board strategy is to ensure West Ham United remains a
Premier League club. As a Board we acknowledge that the Stadium must have a
team that befits it. We have extensive business experience and are
absolutely astute when it comes to managing the Club's finances both as its
custodians and to create the revenue required to pay down the debt and
invest in the squad and its development. We take our responsibility very
seriously.
The Club's turnover has grown year on year since 2010. By the time we play
our first match turnover is forecast to have doubled since 2010.
The Club will ALWAYS be able to afford its annual rent. Whilst we do not
intend to focus on relegation, the deal is structured in such a way that the
annual usage fee is reduced should the Club be relegated.
Where will the away supporters sit?
While we have identified some options for the away supporters' area, this is
one of the key areas that we want to consult with our supporters about.
The areas identified will of course be as a result of operational
considerations, such as segregation and access. We have already received
some fantastic suggestions. Our priority must be our own home supporters and
their matchday experience. We are aware that the atmosphere at the stadium
will form a key part of their enjoyment of the matchday experience. We are
also keen to create a ground that visiting supporters want to travel to for
us to proudly host them and to enhance the overall atmosphere.
Will there be better facilities such as WCs etc than at present?
Categorically yes. Many of the issues experienced at the Boleyn Ground due
to the infrastructure and age of the stadium will be resolved by the stadium
move. The ability to offer a world-class modern football stadium with all
the associated amenities for our supporters was a key driver for the move
due to the restrictions in developing the current stadium. The Boleyn Ground
has 283 WCs while the Olympic Stadium will have 995. It will also have more
than double the number of food and catering units than at the Boleyn Ground.
Will there be an opportunity to honour legends such as Billy Bonds and Geoff
Hurst?
Absolutely, and this is an essential part of our plans to make the stadium
our home. We have already confirmed that we will once again be able to name
a stand after our legends Bobby Moore and Sir Trevor Brooking and there are
also other exciting tributes for former players that will be announced soon.
This again is the kind of consultation that we intend to have with
supporters once we have gauged their overall feelings towards the move - who
would they like to see honoured and how?
Will the Club offices be there?
Yes, the Club offices will of course need to move to the Stadium to offer a
year-round location from which to run the Club and service our supporters.
Does the Club lose out commercially by being a tenant?
No, one of the main benefits of the move is that that Club will have a
platform from which, with our sustained hard work and commitment, we are
able to grow our revenue. This will be without having to carry the burden of
further debt which would follow if we were to the make the initial
significant outlay for a new stadium. For West Ham United this opportunity
would simply have not been possible any other way. Not only do we have a
unique opportunity to continue paying down our debt but with attendances
which could regularly top 50,000 and a further 1,000 hospitality places, the
Club has a real opportunity to grow.
The Club also retains all commercial control and revenue from its own assets
such as shirt sponsorship, retail and ticketing. It will also take a share
of catering income and naming rights. The hard work we have put in to grow
our business year on year as we have since 2010 will need to continue, but
the move presents a real platform for us to move the Club to new levels.
This revenue would be re-invested in the squad, youth development and
facilities to achieve our footballing ambitions.
Will local businesses such as pie and mash shops be able to move?
This will be down to the individual businesses. They are all privately owned
so they will need to decide whether they want to relocate with the Club or
not.
There are numerous retail and catering opportunities available in and around
the park and the Club would encourage any local business that wants to move
with the Club to explore those options. As above the E20 LLP (a joint
venture between the LLDC and Newham Council) will be tasked with the letting
of other concessions in the Stadium and the LLDC will also be tasked with
the letting of units in and round the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is
our understanding that while some of these units will be let by, for
example, the catering partner that consideration is being given to a
strategy that ensures there are both small local business and community
uses.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 2 Wigan 0
20 April 2013
Last updated at 17:22
By Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport
West Ham's clinical victory over Wigan appeared to end any lingering worries
they had about relegation but caused further anxiety for the Latics. The
irrepressible Shaun Maloney had an effort stopped by Jussi Jaaskelainen
before Matt Jarvis was fortunate to find the bottom corner from his cross.
Wigan had a host of chances after the break with James McArthur closest.
Kevin Nolan's late volley then came against the run of play, keeping Wigan
in the Premier League's bottom three.
Wigan's Premier League run-in
27 April: Tottenham (h)
4 May: West Brom (a)
7 May: Swansea (h)
14 May: Arsenal (a)
19 May: Aston Villa (h)
Andy Carroll fired wide with a late effort after latching onto a long ball
from the back, for what would have been a truly unrepresentative scoreline.
But Wigan will feel frustrated by their inability to make their second-half
dominance count, wasting a chance to close in on relegation rivals Aston
Villa who play Manchester United on Monday. Villa sit three points above
Wigan, but with Stoke and Sunderland both winning, it was a poor day for
Latics boss Roberto Martinez who last weekend watched his side secure a
place in the FA Cup final. Thoughts about that occasion must now be put to
one side as the Spaniard aims to secure his team's Premier League safety,
starting with the visit of Tottenham next Saturday. His position is far
different from West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, whose team are now five league
games unbeaten and sit 11 points above the relegation zone with four games
left. In what turned out to be a reflection of the game, Wigan enjoyed a
dominant spell of possession in the first 20 minutes. Maloney began brightly
and had the the visitors' best chance to open the scoring when he was
slipped through the middle by Callum McManaman, but Jaaskelainen was quick
to come off his line and save the Scot's effort. West Ham appeared content
to remain compact rather than chase the ball and before the goal they were
limited in their attacking forays. Andy Carroll has been involved in five
goals (three goals, two assists) in his last four Premier League
appearances. In contrast to Wigan's short-sharp passing, Carroll was eager
to profit from any set-pieces and he went into the book early on for what
looked like a petty reaction to Gary Caldwell's attentions. That was soon
forgotten, though, when the Hammers took the lead as Jarvis advanced down
the left, cut back, and his cross carried all the way into the bottom corner
as Mohamed Diame attempted to poke it in against his former club. The goal
gave the hosts an instant boost and Carroll increased his influence while
Nolan had a penalty appeal waved away by referee Neil Swarbrick.
Wigan recovered after the break when Martinez's decision to replace
McManaman with McArthur allowed Jordi Gomez to play further forward and the
Spanish midfielder tested Jaaskelainen. Efforts from Emmerson Boyce,
McArthur and Jean Beausejour were all then saved by West Ham's Finnish
goalkeeper, with another to deny McArthur following Maloney's cut-back the
best of the bunch. Maloney was a menace in the second half and Allardyce's
team struggled to get out of their own half, much to the home supporters'
frustration. But they were soon singing their famous 'I'm forever blowing
bubbles' song when from a long-free-kick, Carroll chested the ball down,
hooked it over his head and Nolan stole in to volley his 100th career goal.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce: "While it wasn't the best performance, the
bottom line is, if you score your goals and take your chances, you win
football matches. "Their possession was better than ours but the chances
they had they either missed or Jussi Jaaskelainen saved them. We knew Wigan
would push forward which left them defensively weakened and we exposed
them."
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Allardyce on... Wigan Athletic
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 20th April 2013
By: Staff Writer
A jovial Sam Allardyce looks back at a game in which his team may have been
second best, but still produced a win...
Sam: Not the best of performances today, but you got the right result with
some clinical finishing by Nolan?
There's no doubt that if you can win a game in the Premier League and not be
playing your best, it's a measure of your determination and capabilities
when things aren't quite going your way. We stayed in the game until we got
the opportunity to finish them off, which is exactly what we did.
It ended up being a far more difficult game than Manchester United was on
Wednesday, but I think that's because of the effort by the players on
Wednesday; it took its toll a little bit today. I thought we looked fatigued
going into the last half-an-hour of the game, didn't pass the ball very well
and made life very difficult for ourselves.
But in all fairness, the game's about two things - what you do with the ball
and how good you are when you haven't got it. When we didn't have it - which
was for long periods - we were excellent, defensively, today. Very resilient
and very dogged. Our quality of finishing has won us the game 2-0 in the end
and we're absolutely delighted to be on 42 points with four games to play.
You said in your programme notes today that a win would make you safe; is
that mission accomplished?
I think so. Mathematically we're not safe and everybody wants to be that. We
have 42 points now and I can't see us not getting any more than that. I know
we've got difficult games away at Man City and Everton, but we've got
Newcastle - who are still down around there [the relegation zone] - and
Reading at home. So I can see us picking more points up between now and the
end of the season.
Are you safe enough for you to sign your new contract yet?
I don't know whether the owners want me to be mathematically safe...
[laughs]
Is the contract sorted? It is sorted.
Have you signed it though?
I will.
When are you going to sign that then?
Probably when we're mathematically safe! [laughs]
Andy [Carroll] has been involved in five goals in his last four games. Is
this the most confident you've seen him?
He didn't score today but I thought he was very good even with the limited
supply that we gave him. There's times when he's had a bit of a tussle with
the opposition sticking a man in front of him, fouling him, and the referee
not giving him the right protection. Then all of a sudden Andy gets booked
instead of the opposition player getting booked or conceding a foul.
Obviously it's a tactic used by the opposition to try and stop Andy and his
aerial prowess.
His movement today - and especially his movement off the ball - was very
good. I thought he was going to score right at the end when Matt Jarvis
stood that one up for him, I thought he was going to smash it in the back of
the net.
I'm pleased for Kevin more than anybody else. The 99 goals must have been
playing on his mind subconsciously because he's waited so long to get the
hundredth. Now he's got it with a great clinical finish. Jussi Jasskelainen
and the back four, they were brilliant today. They've played against a team
that's kept possession brilliantly and they've defended very well today, to
keep Wigan out.
Does each impressive performance by Andy improve or lessen your chances of
keeping him?
I think it improves it. Whether it can be done at the end of the season or
not we'll have to wait and see, but it proves we're buying a player who we
might have in our camp that's critical to our moving forward in terms of our
development programme.
We have to be better next season than this season so first and foremost, if
we haven't got Andy Carroll next year then we have to go out and produce a
big money signing to get somebody with his quality.
Thank you.
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Martinez on....West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 20th April 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez reflects on his side's 2-0 defeat at the Boleyn
in the post-match press conference which we bring you, as ever, exclusively
in full here on kumb.com.....
Roberto, in the wake of other results elsewhere in the country could today
have gone any worse for you?
No. The way that we are in the season it's not about the other results. It's
about affecting our points tally. We're disappointed that we didn't get any
points today because we're obviously getting to that critical moment of the
season. We've still got a game in hand on everyone else. The negative today
was the injury today to Antolin Alcaraz which changed the way we wanted to
play, the way we prepared the game. After 15 minutes that's a
disappointment. We were very soft in terms of keeping that clean sheet. We
knew what West Ham can do and the goalscoring ability that they have and I
don't think that we were strong enough to keep that. Apart from that we beat
West Ham in every single department.
I enjoyed the second half performance. I thought that was as dominant as
you're going to see an away team. [The] two teams were a little bit tired
because both played on Wednesday but we had to be the one that was getting
on the ball and wasting energy and being creative. But I felt proud of the
way the players adjusted in the second half and dominated the game. I won't
be able to explain how we lost!
We need to make sure that we regenerate, that we recover quickly and get
ready for Saturday. It's been a very demanding period for us - four away
games in different competitions probably took their toll on us a little bit
but I was very proud in the way we were the better side today against such a
club with such an incredible football tradition.
James McArthur came on today and Ali Al-Habsi is usually your starting
'keeper. Are they being rested with a view to the Cup Final?
[Laughs] I don't think we can rest anyone! We've got a healthy squad, good
numbers. Three games in a week is a huge task. We went to the Etihad against
the Champions and physically that's going to be demanding so we have to
share the demands. Ali and Joel [Robles] have been phenomenal all season. At
the moment Joel is playing in the league and Ali played in the Cup. Earlier
in the season it's been the other way round. Everything is up for grabs on a
game by game basis.
Do you think that your experience in this kind of scenario - it seems to be
annual - do you think that it will be an asset to you in weeks to come, with
other teams not used to it?
It's not the other teams. Internally as a club we know how to cope with it.
As you could see today the team needs a little bit of TLC, a little bit of
warmth and we're looking forward to seeing our fans at the stadium. We know
what to expect. There is no margin of error. We've got five games - we need
to get something like, probably, three wins I would say and that's something
we can achieve. If you look at our performance today we were the better side
over the 90 minutes. Yes we need to address not conceding goals as cheaply
as we have done today but every other department with a little bit of luck
it should have been an easy and comfortable away win. Funnily enough it was
exactly the same against Manchester City at their place. I am very happy
with the attitude of the players, the workrate, the mentality and it's an
exciting challenge for us.
You must be very happy with Shaun Maloney - man of the match on a losing
side for me
Shaun is a special footballer. He's one of those footballers who relies on
his natural talent. I think technically he gave a lesson to any young
players watching the game in how to receive the ball be aware around you and
how you turn. He's a phenomenal footballer. It was a shame that he got in a
great position one v one with Jaaskalainen - and he was superb today. Shaun
Maloney is one of those players you'd pay big money to watch on a regular
basis and we're very fortunate to have him.
That chance could have changed the game..
Yeah clearly. Remember the first goal today was going to dictate a lot. The
grass was very long - I don't know if there was a problem with the machines
[laughter] and after playing on Wednesday the team that had to come out and
be creative and expose was going to find it difficult. From us nearly
scoring a goal to West Ham scoring a goal it changed the roles in the game.
But I was very proud at the way in the second half we applied ourselves. The
crowd was phenomenal - very supportive of the home team - but I never saw
such a dominant display from a team away from home in the Premier League for
a long time.
How is Antolin [Alcaraz]
It's a soft tissue injury. His left hamstring. Probably an accumulation of
games more than anything. Nothing serious but with soft tissue injuries
you're probably talking about anything from 7-10 days. We'll see how it is
tomorrow.
Thank you!
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Hammers to face Teutonic test
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 20th April 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are set to face Bundesliga club SV Hamburg in a pre-season friendly
this July. The Hammers will face HSV, one of Germany's oldest and most
famous clubs as part of a five-day pre-season training programme that will
see them visit the country from 19th-24th of July. One of a select few never
to have been relegated from the top tier of German fooball - and the only
team never to have been relegated from the Bundesliga since its inception in
1963 - HSV have won the German title six times, but not since 1983. Prior to
the 2011/12 campaign, the club had finished in the Bundesliga's top ten on
each of the nine preceeding seasons. Eighth in the current standings with 44
points from 30 games, HSV are on course to complete a top ten finish once
again. The game between HSV and West Ham is set to be played in the
Flensburg Stadium, which is situated around 100 miles north of Hamburg on
the German and Danish border.
We'll have more details and ticket news for you once details have been
confirmed.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham see off relegation-haunted Wigan at Upton Park
Last Updated: April 20, 2013 6:41pm
SSN
Kevin Nolan netted his 100th career goal as West Ham United pushed Wigan
Athletic a little deeper into the relegation mire with a 2-0 victory at
Upton Park.
A cross from Matt Jarvis which was allowed to slip past a clutch of bodies
in a crowded penalty area and into the bottom corner opened the scoring
during a tight first half.
Best of the match...
Man of the match: James Collins. Put himself in the way of everything as
West Ham were forced to defend for long periods.
Goal of the match: Kevin Nolan did really well to turn an acrobatic volley
into the corner after Andy Carroll had flicked on.
Save of the match: Jussi Jasskelainen produced a brilliant stop to deny
James McArthur when the Hammers were only 1-0 in front.
Moment of the match: Shaun Maloney squandered an early opportunity for
Wigan, and they were made to pay.
Talking point: Can West Ham now finish in the top-half after ending any
relegation fears? Have Wigan got enough left in the tank to steer a course
to safety?
The Hammers netted their second of the afternoon 10 minutes from time when
Nolan turned an acrobatic volley into the back of the net - and they are now
through the 40-point mark for the season while the Latics continue to
languish in the bottom three. Wigan started brightly and were the first side
to create an opening as Antolin Alcaraz - who was replaced after 15 minutes
due to injury - fired a low shot straight at Jussi Jaaskelainen. Hammers
skipper Nolan had found the net just once since the turn of the year before
the clash with Wigan, but he had two half chances to open the scoring as the
hosts came back into the game. Firstly he could not rise high enough to make
meaningful contact with a Gary O'Neil corner that had been flicked into his
path by James Collins before latching onto a free-kick and seeing his volley
pushed clear by Wigan goalkeeper Joel Robles. Dead-ball specialist Shaun
Maloney put a 22-yard free-kick just over Jaaskelainen's bar with both sides
still in search of the opening goal.
It came just four minutes later when Jarvis' cross from the left flank
evaded both Mohamed Diame and Nolan before sneaking inside Robles' far post.
West Ham then had strong claims for a penalty following an exchange of
passes between Ricardo Vaz Te and Nolan, with James McCarthy appearing to
trip Nolan as he prepared to shoot. Roberto Martinez made his second change
at half-time as he introduced James McArthur in place of Callum McManaman.
The visitors came out attacking with both Jordi Gomez and Arouna Kone having
strikes at Jaaskelainen's goal within two minutes of the re-start. Wigan
finally created a decent opportunity as Maynor Figueroa lofted a ball over
the West Ham defence and Emmerson Boyce's diving header was kept out by
Jaaskelainen. That effort seemed to galvanise Martinez's side and they
dominated for the next 15 minutes, culminating with substitute James
McArthur forcing a smart save out of the Finnish goalkeeper with 20 minutes
remaining. Paul Scharner then headed straight at Jaaskelainen when free
inside the area with the home fans starting to show their tension as their
fragile lead continued to be threatened. But those worries were put to bed
with a little over 10 minutes remaining as Nolan latched on to Carroll's
pass to volley West Ham into a two-goal lead and score his seventh goal of
the season. Carroll should have added a third himself after bursting into
the area but he put his shot wide.
Roberto Martinez claimed afterwards that luck had deserted Wigan once again,
but is confident they can steer clear of trouble if they maintain their
current performance level. He told Sky Sports: "The two goals that we
conceded are a little bit soft, but if you look at the overall balance of
play and the amount of chances that we created, we deserved to get much more
than what we got today. "Sometimes you have moments like that in a season
when you play very well and luck doesn't allow you to collect the rewards
that you deserve. If we keep performing like that, we will get the points
that we need."
Sam Allardyce believes West Ham are now safe and is looking for them to keep
their foot on the gas and wrap up a top-half finish. He told Sky Sports:
"It's our first season back in the big league and if we can finish around
this position, this was our maximum finish for us this season. We felt that
our absolute maximum would be around tenth, if we could get there. "I know
mathematically we are still not safe and people will say I shouldn't say
this, but it's been a long, long time since someone went down with 42
points."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce is looking for West Ham to maintain their top-half standing
Last Updated: April 20, 2013 8:46pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce is looking for West Ham United to cling on to their lofty
perch after rising into the top half of the Premier League table. The
Hammers made their way into 10th place on Saturday on the back of a 2-0
victory over Wigan Athletic. Allardyce's side have found form at just the
right time, with a five-match unbeaten run taking them through the 40-point
barrier and ending any lingering relegation fears. The target now is to
maintain those standards and end the campaign inside the top 10. Allardyce
told Sky Sports: "Very pleased, and tenth in the Premier League. It's our
first season back in the big league and if we can finish around this
position, this was our maximum finish for us this season. We felt that our
absolute maximum would be around tenth, if we could get there.
"It's our first season back in the big league and if we can finish around
this position, this was our maximum finish for us this season." "We have
had a really good run, I think in the last 10 games we have lost only three
of those 10, won four and drawn three. "We have put a really good stint in
at the end of the season after a difficult time with all the injuries we had
in December. We have really stepped up to the mark again and we have done a
clinical job today, a professional job. "We made life very difficult for
Wigan, even with all the possession they had to create open and clear cut
chances. At the other end, we showed that we have become more clinical in
our finishing over the last few weeks, and that's why we are picking up wins
instead of the losses through December. "The clinical finishing today -
Matt Jarvis' cross-cum-goal and Kevin Nolan's finish for his 100th goal -
edged us just ahead of Wigan and got us a very valuable three points to take
us to 42. "I know mathematically we are still not safe and people will say I
shouldn't say this, but it's been a long, long time since someone went down
with 42 points."
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